<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-warriors-celtics-among-several-al-horford-suitors-in-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors, Celtics among several Al Horford suitors in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Warriors-Stephen-Curry-dribbles-vs.-Celtics-Al-Horford.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors, Celtics among several Al Horford suitors in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T20:42:44-07:00">June 30th, 8:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T20:42:44-07:00">June 30th, 8:42pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The first day of free agency has brought forth plenty of player movement, with teams such as the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies being among the busiest. To teams already above the salary cap, moving in free agency isn’t quite as easy, as they have to maneuver smartly to stay below the relevant tax apron. For the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, this very much rings true — with the former having to let <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-new-orleans-signs-3-time-nba-champion-warriors-free-agency">Kevon Looney go to the New Orleans Pelicans</a> and the latter having to resort to a low-cost flier in Luka Garza.</p><p>Both the Warriors and Celtics have plenty of question marks in the frontcourt, although they are looking to rectify those issues by setting their sights on the same player. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the 2022 NBA Finalists are <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1939855484036505990" rel="noopener">among the many</a> contending teams that are looking to get veteran big man Al Horford to sign on the dotted line.</p><p>Included in the hunt for Horford are the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, as per Scotto. It’s not quite clear just how strong those teams’ interest level is in signing the 39-year-old big man from the Dominican Republic, but one thing’s for sure, both the Warriors and Celtics will be facing stiff competition for Horford’s services.</p><p>It’s not quite clear what kind of contract Horford is commanding in free agency, although it’s safe to say that he should not break the bank too much and should not cost more than the $9.5 million he made this past season. This makes him a low-cost option for any team looking to reinforce their frontcourt with the defense and shooting that Horford provides.</p><p>Alas, with Horford having recently turned 39 years of age, there is real risk in him declining as soon as next season hits.</p><h2>Will Al Horford sign with the Warriors?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Al-Horford-of-the-Boston-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-al-horford-emerges-as-dubs-preferred-target-in-free-agency">Warriors may be the most desperate team for Horford</a> after they lost Looney in free agency; ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that the Dubs are <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1939826986232553634" rel="noopener">“locked in</a> on getting to an agreement” with Horford after the events of free agency’s first day.</p><p>Alas, the Lakers may be as desperate, seeing as they haven’t quite remedied their center issues yet (although they seem to be saving their money for Deandre Ayton). The Nuggets would also want a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic, and Horford fits the bill. Meanwhile, the center position isn’t as pressing of a need for either the Knicks and Cavs.</p><p>The smart money is banking on Horford to return to the Celtics even if it’s unlikely for Boston to contend for a championship this upcoming season amid the injury to Jayson Tatum. Horford’s been at his best this past decade whenever he’s in Beantown, and suffice to say, this place has become home for him. And now that he has won a championship anyway, it’s not like he’ll be desperate to chase another ring.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Warriors, Celtics among several Al Horford suitors in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-al-horford-emerges-as-dubs-preferred-target-in-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors rumors: Al Horford emerges as Dubs’ ‘preferred target’ in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Al-Horford-gets-loose-in-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors rumors: Al Horford emerges as Dubs’ ‘preferred target’ in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T13:28:28-07:00">June 30th, 1:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T13:29:40-07:00">June 30th, 1:29pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA fans are understandably preoccupied with the madness that could potentially ensue in the Eastern Conference next season, but the Western Conference could be quite unpredictable as well. While the Oklahoma City Thunder are certainly the team to beat after winning their first championship this year, the chase to become their biggest adversary is quite fascinating. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-shares-opinion-kevin-durant-trade-rockets">The Houston Rockets added Kevin Durant</a>, the Dallas Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg and the Minnesota Timberwolves retained a big chunk of their core. But what will the Golden State Warriors do?</p><p>The veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler could all be free agents after the 2026-27 campaign, so the front office is under serious pressure to round out a championship-level roster this summer. Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/siegels-scoop-latest-warriors-jonathan-kuminga-nba-free-agency-intel">the Jonathan Kuminga situation</a> remains a focus, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. is also looking at some unrestricted free agents who can help the squad become better equipped for a deep playoffs run. The Dubs <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6455296/2025/06/30/warriors-nba-free-agency-2025-jonathan-kuminga/" rel="noopener">have a position and player in mind</a>.</p><p>“Team sources have identified a stretch center as a high priority,” The Athletic’s Anthony Slater writes. “Many in the league continue to link Al Horford to the Warriors as a preferred target.</p><p>“If the Warriors use the taxpayer midlevel exception (projected at around $5.7 million) on Horford or another free agent, they’ll be hard-capped at the second apron, currently projected at $207.8 million. The Warriors currently have nine players under contract at $170.5 million. Kuminga’s qualifying offer, extended over the weekend by the Warriors, is $7.9 million, but his cap hold is $22.9 million, further clogging the Warriors’ books if his situation drags deeper into July.”</p><p>The Stein Line’s Mark Stein and Jake Fischer expressed the same sentiment, which illustrates Golden State’s <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-absolute-latest-nba-free-agency?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167190832&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">apparently profuse interest</a> in the five-time All-Star. Horford recently turned 39 years old and sharply declined from an efficiency standpoint — averaged 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and and 36.3 percent from 3-point land last season — but he still embodies much of what the Warriors wish to accomplish.</p><h2><b>This ‘old timer’ could pair quite nicely with Warriors</b></h2><p>Horford brings additional championship experience and a capable 3-point shot, posting a 37.7 career shooting percentage from beyond the arc during his 18-year NBA career. He is a solid defender and can get hot from the field on occasion. Beyond his statistical contributions, though, Horford exemplifies the strong mentality this team demands from its supporting cast.</p><p>The 2011 All-NBA Third-Team selection knows what his role is at this point and still seems more than capable of executing it. If necessary, however, Al Horford can shoulder a bigger workload. He played 27.7 minutes per game for the Boston Celtics last season, doing his best to compensate for Kristaps Porzingis’ lengthy absence. Warriors fans may not be enthused at the idea of getting even older, but this big man remains an adaptable and hungry competitor.</p><p>With limited options, the Dubs can do worse than signing such a free agent. The question is, though, will Horford want to join another team after his renaissance in Boston? Celtics president of basketball operations <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-celtics-al-horford-luke-kornet">Brad Stevens has already expressed his desire</a> to bring him back, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-provides-nsfw-rehab-update-achilles-injury">Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury</a> and an altered roster could compel him to explore other options. He does not have the luxury of waiting out a potential transition year.</p><p>When taking everything into account, it is hard to deny the natural fit of this hypothetical pairing. The Warriors might have to move quickly if they are serious about bolstering their frontcourt.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors rumors: Al Horford emerges as Dubs’ ‘preferred target’ in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-celtics-al-horford-luke-kornet');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brad Stevens reveals Celtics’ dream Al Horford, Luke Kornet offseason scenario');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Al-Horford-and-Luke-Kornet.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Brad Stevens reveals Celtics’ dream Al Horford, Luke Kornet offseason scenario</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T11:20:55-07:00">June 26th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T11:20:55-07:00">June 26th, 11:20am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — There are uncertainties aplenty surrounding the Boston Celtics’ future. That hasn’t been the norm during Brad Stevens’ tenure as Celtics GM, but it’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-brad-stevens-hits-boston-with-harsh-reality-after-major-trades">been the reality since star Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles</a> in May. The harsh financial restrictions of the new CBA, while not as sudden as Tatum’s devastating injury, are another troubling development for Stevens. Yet, it doesn’t change his desire to keep free agent centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet in Boston.</p><p>During a Wednesday night press conference following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, Stevens stressed that he’d like to retain Horford and Kornet amid a busy offseason.</p><p>“I think the biggest thing is, as you look at the rest of the team and what we’re trying to do, there’s no question our priorities would be to bring Al and Luke back,” he revealed.</p><p>The Celtics are currently under the second apron after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-breaks-silence-jrue-holiday-kristaps-porzingis-trades">trading 2024 NBA champions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis</a>. But to re-sign Horford and Kornet, they may need to make another move to free up some money or <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-al-horford-robust-free-agent-market">hope their veteran big men agree to cheap contracts</a>. It’s worth noting that Kornet signed a one-year league minimum contract last season even though he could’ve commanded more money elsewhere.</p><p>“Those guys are huge parts of this organization,” Stevens said. “They’re going to have, I’m sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that’s well deserved…I don’t want to put pressure on them. It’s their call ultimately, but yeah, we would love to have those guys back.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brad Stevens on two of his biggest free agents, Al Horford and Luke Kornet:</p><p>“I don’t want to pressure on them, you know, it’s their call ultimately. But I’d love to have those guys back.” <a href="https://t.co/O29dsGP8ys">pic.twitter.com/O29dsGP8ys</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1938081361430196433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What is the Celtics’ situation at center?</b></h2><p>Horford has been an integral member of the C’s for nearly half of his lengthy career. On the court, he’s developed into a legitimate 3-point threat and stepped up in the starting lineup when called upon. Off the court, the 39-year-old has served as a mentor to multiple generations of Celtics and been a steady presence in the locker room.</p><p>As for Kornet, he really showed his worth in 2025, averaging six points and a career-high 5.3 rebounds in just 18.6 minutes per game during the regular season. His crowning achievement came in the playoffs though, as the 7-footer <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-luke-kornet-makes-insane-nba-history-in-game-5-vs-knicks">notched a career-high seven blocks in a Game 5 win</a> over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">6TH BLOCK OF THE NIGHT FOR LUKE KORNET 🚫</p><p>And the dunk on the other end! <a href="https://t.co/fO9mjndlLn">pic.twitter.com/fO9mjndlLn</a></p><p>— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1922820971578187953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although the Knicks went on to win the series, Kornet helped the shorthanded Celtics force a Game 6 and outplayed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-brian-windhorst-concerned-kristaps-porzingis-mystery-illness">an ailing Porzingis</a> throughout the postseason. If he’s willing to accept another minuscule contract, returning Kornet is a no-brainer for Boston.</p><p>Without Horford and Kornet, Boston’s depth chart isn’t promising. There’s center Neemias Queta, yet he’s never logged more than 14 minutes per game in a single season. Stevens might try to address this hole in the roster on Thursday by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-7-footer-maxime-raynaud-makes-sense-no-32">drafting a big man early in the second round at no. 32</a>.</p><p>That still wouldn’t give the Celtics a reliable solution at the five spot, making re-signing Horford and Kornet absolutely critical. Of course, Stevens can always swing a deal for a center on the market, but that’s easier said than done with the CBA looming large.</p><p>“I think the second apron basketball penalties are real, and I’m not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month,” he admitted. “That can’t be overstated.”</p><p>It’s now up to Stevens and the rest of the front office to work some magic this summer, and finding a way to afford both Horford and Kornet would be a commendable first trick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brad Stevens reveals Celtics’ dream Al Horford, Luke Kornet offseason scenario

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-al-horford-robust-free-agent-market');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics rumors: Al Horford to have ‘robust’ free agent market');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Horford-vs-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics rumors: Al Horford to have ‘robust’ free agent market</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T10:38:40-07:00">June 25th, 10:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T10:38:40-07:00">June 25th, 10:38am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-bill-simmons-defiant-take-2024-boston-funeral">Boston Celtics have had a busy 48 hours</a>, first trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-breaks-silence-jrue-holiday-kristaps-porzingis-trades">then Kristaps Porzingis</a> to the Atlanta Hawks. The moves were a clear effort from the team’s front office to get under the dreaded second apron, and signal that the Celtics may be willing to view 2025-26 as more of a transitional year as Jayson Tatum recovers from his torn Achilles.</p><p>The Celtics still have some big decisions ahead of them, with multiple players on their roster set to hit free agency, including big man Al Horford.</p><p>Recently, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania stopped by The Pat McAfee show and revealed what the <a href="https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1937914119237075141" rel="noopener">market is looking like</a> for the 39 year-old.</p><p>“There’s an uncertainty around Boston right now with Jayson Tatum potentially missing all of next season.. I am told Al Horford has a pretty robust free agent market outside of Boston,” said Charania.</p><p>While he may not be the same player that he was a decade ago, Al Horford remains a valuable tool for the modern NBA, able to shoot the three-ball and guard the perimeter reasonably well for a big man.</p><p>After trading Porzingis, the Celtics will be looking for additional depth in their frontcourt heading into next season. It’s worth noting that backup center Luke Kornet also will be hitting free agency in a week.</p><h2><b>A big offseason for the Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Nick-Richards-and-Al-Horford.jpg"><figcaption>© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While the Celtics were widely expected to be in salary-shedding mode this offseason regardless of how the 2024-25 season played out, the Jayson Tatum injury suffered in their second round series vs the New York Knicks made that decision a lot easier.</p><p>Boston is unlikely to drop off of a cliff in 2025-26 as long as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White (as well as talented new trade acquisition Anfernee Simons) are on the roster, but their chances of competing for an NBA championship given Tatum’s injury and their recent trades would appear to be slim.</p><p>With that being the case, it will be interesting to see how Brad Stevens and the rest of the Celtics’ front office navigate the remainder of the offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics rumors: Al Horford to have ‘robust’ free agent market

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-silent-on-future-after-playoff-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Al Horford silent on Boston future after playoff exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Al-Horford.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Al Horford silent on Boston future after playoff exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-17T11:26:42-07:00">May 17th, 11:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-17T11:26:42-07:00">May 17th, 11:26am</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-shares-sobering-boston-take-jayson-tatum-injury">Celtics veteran Al Horford</a> has long been a pillar of leadership, but following the defending champions’ elimination by the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the 38-year-old big man left fans and media wondering about his next move. With the Boston Celtics roster expected to shift this offseason, Horford’s <a href="https://x.com/ByJayKing/status/1923789907639546259" rel="noopener">silence carries weight</a>—and signals possible change.</p><p>After the 119-81 blowout loss at Madison Square Garden that ended the defending champions’ season, Jay King of The Athletic shared on X, formerly Twitter, that Horford was not ready to discuss what comes next.</p><p>“It’s too soon,”  Horford stated earlier today. “I’m going to take some time here with my wife and kids and there’s still a lot for me to process.”</p><p>This statement reignited NBA retirement rumors, especially as the former Florida Gator just completed his 17th NBA season. While he remains one of the most impactful veteran defenders in the league, age and physical toll have become unavoidable considerations. The veteran averaged nine points and 6.2 rebounds during the 2024–25 season, continuing to stretch the floor with 1.9 made threes per game on 36.3% shooting.</p><p>Despite Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in Game 4, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-joins-stephen-curry-in-nba-playoff-history-books">Celtics rallied to win Game 5 behind Derrick White’s 34-point outburst</a>. Yet in Game 6, New York overwhelmed Boston early, and head coach Joe Mazzulla benched his starters in the third quarter.</p><p>Should Horford step away, it would mark the end of an era. He helped deliver an 18th banner to Boston in 2024 and has been the cultural backbone of this group. His presence shaped locker room dynamics and elevated teammates’ play—something Coach Mazzulla often praises.</p><p>The uncertainty surrounding the big man’s future will be central to offseason narratives. With the Boston Celtics roster needing strategic tweaks and Kristaps Porzingis facing health concerns, Horford’s decision could heavily influence Boston’s trajectory.</p><p>As Boston faces an identity crossroads, all eyes will remain on Horford and what comes next for a franchise chasing title No. 19.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Al Horford silent on Boston future after playoff exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-proud-gesture-to-luke-kornet-jaylen-brown-sums-up-game-5-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Al Horford’s proud gesture to Luke Kornet, Jaylen Brown sums up Celtics’ Game 5 win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Celtics-guard-Jaylen-Brown-celebrates-with-Luke-Kornet.jpg"><figcaption>© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Al Horford’s proud gesture to Luke Kornet, Jaylen Brown sums up Celtics’ Game 5 win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-14T20:36:45-07:00">May 14th, 8:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-14T20:36:45-07:00">May 14th, 8:36pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics found themselves on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 of their second-round matchup against the New York Knicks. Finding themselves down 3-1 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-jayson-tatum-injury-could-lead-to-greater-shakeup-than-anticipated">without Jayson Tatum for the foreseeable future</a> after he sustained a torn Achilles, the Celtics looked like they were dead in the water even though Game 5 was at home. But they are the reigning champion for a reason, and they showed it by staving off elimination with a 127-102 victory.</p><p>It was a given that the likes of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White had to produce so that the Celtics could live to see another day. Brown put up an excellent all-around effort, his best in this year’s playoffs, by recording 26 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists, while White led all scorers with 34 points. But it was the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-luke-kornet-makes-insane-nba-history-in-game-5-vs-knicks">improbable contributions from Luke Kornet</a> that truly changed the flow of the game, with Kornet coming off the bench to tally 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks.</p><p>Brown was the Celtics’ rock all night long and Kornet provided the spark that got Boston across the finish line, allowing them to survive and force a Game 6 back in New York. And the roster’s elder statesman, Al Horford, <a href="https://twitter.com/NoaDalzell/status/1922829486237639098" rel="noopener">couldn’t be any prouder</a> of his boys after their heroics in Game 5.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Al Horford is so visibly proud of Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet <a href="https://t.co/OzSN5dnYxX">pic.twitter.com/OzSN5dnYxX</a></p><p>— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoaDalzell/status/1922829486237639098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Celtics will need more of their bench players to come out of nowhere and change the game in Boston’s favor if they were to build off of their Game 5 win and complete the 3-1 comeback. This win should give the reigning champions the confidence that they can pull off the unthinkable and make Tatum even prouder with their resilience after their best player’s debilitating injury.</p><h2><b>Celtics run away from Knicks with stellar second half in Game 5 win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1538.jpeg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Celtics and Knicks were locked into such a close affair in the first half of Game 5, but then something clicked for Boston after the halftime interval, particularly on defense. Luke Kornet was a force to be reckoned with, as he deterred many would-be attempts from the Knicks in the paint while swatting his fair share of shots as well.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-jaylen-brown-moment-game-5-knicks">Jaylen Brown embracing first-option duties</a> was a sight to behold; his playmaking was on point, as this was his first time all year recording double-digit assists. In fact, his 12 dimes was a career-high, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time with the team missing Jayson Tatum’s all-around contributions.</p><p>Brown getting into this kind of rhythm is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-karl-anthony-towns-truth-bomb-jayson-tatum-less-celtics">what makes the Celtics a legitimate threat</a> to come back in their series vs. the Knicks even if Tatum is out with injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Al Horford’s proud gesture to Luke Kornet, Jaylen Brown sums up Celtics’ Game 5 win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-shares-sobering-boston-take-jayson-tatum-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Al Horford shares sobering take after Jayson Tatum injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Al-Horford-jogging.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Al Horford shares sobering take after Jayson Tatum injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-12T20:26:18-07:00">May 12th, 8:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-12T20:26:18-07:00">May 12th, 8:26pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Al Horford has his mind on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-exits-game-4-vs-knicks-with-painful-injury">Jayson Tatum after seeing the injury</a> his teammate suffered during the Boston Celtics’ Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night.</p><p>The injury happened within the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. Tatum was having a strong scoring performance with 42 points as he kept the Celtics in the game.</p><p>However, disaster struck when Tatum suffered an apparent leg injury when he tried to dive for a loose ball. It was a non-contact injury as he was unable to put any weight on the leg, as team officials carried him to the locker room. They later put him on a wheelchair, which indicates the injury to be potentially severe.</p><p>Horford reflected on the events of the loss after the game, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. While he and the Celtics are not happy to be on the losing end, they <a href="https://x.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1922119654371209296" rel="noopener">have their concentration</a> on how Tatum will be going forward.</p><p>“The loss is the loss. More importantly it’s Jayson I’m worried about,” Horford said.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Al Horford, Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Jayson-Tatum-carried-off.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A lot of questions now surround Al Horford and the Celtics after the Game 4 loss, especially after Jayson Tatum’s injury.</p><p>Despite holding a 62-51 lead at halftime, the Celtics were unable to hold off the Knicks’ advances. Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns among others made big plays down the stretch to continue outscoring Boston and secure a 3-1 series lead.</p><p>Four players scored in double-digits for Boston in the loss. Tatum led the way with 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. He shot 16-of-28 from the field, including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Derrick White came next with 23 points and three rebounds, Jaylen Brown put up 20 points and seven rebounds, while Payton Pritchard provided 10 points.</p><p>The Celtics will hope to keep their season alive when they host the Knicks in Game 5. The contest will take place on May 14 at 7 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Al Horford shares sobering take after Jayson Tatum injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-jalen-brunson-al-horford-4th-quarter-game-3');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Brunson, Al Horford exchange 4th quarter words in Game 3');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1525.jpeg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jalen Brunson, Al Horford exchange 4th quarter words in Game 3</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-10T16:01:03-07:00">May 10th, 4:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-10T16:01:03-07:00">May 10th, 4:01pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks came into Game 3 against the Boston Celtics feeling good due to winning two games on the road and retuning home with a 2-0 series lead. But the Celtics responded in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/knicks-news-fans-in-shambles-22-point-loss">Game 3, curb-stomping the Knicks, 115-93</a> to get back into the series. Towards the end of Game 3, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Celtics big man Al Horford <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1921321840946843911" rel="noopener">exchanged words following</a> a foul call.</p><p>With a little frustrations possibly boiling over with Game 3 out of hand for the Knicks, Jalen Brunson had words directed towards Al Horford, who responded back as he was walking back to the Celtics bench. Who know what was said and what it was about, but emotions are obviously high during this best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals series.</p><p>The Knicks were looking to take a 3-0 lead as the series shifted back to their home court. But the Celtics, facing essentially a must-win game, took control early and never relinquished. In NBA history, no team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs to win the series.</p><p>These Celtics were trailing 3-0 against the Miami Heat in 2023, managed to win three straight games to force a Game 7, but were ultimately eliminated by the Heat.</p><p>During the first two games of this series, Brunson had been the clutch hero for the Knicks. In Game 1, Brunson scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks rallied back from a 20+ point deficit to steal the game. In Game 2, Brunson scored nine points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks again overcame a huge deficit to grab the win.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/knicks-news-jalen-brunson-named-nba-clutch-player-of-the-year">Knicks star was named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year</a>, and he still managed to turn in a fairly strong game despite the blowout in Game 3. Brunson finished Game 3 with 27 points, four rebounds, seven assists and one steal in a little over 39 minutes. He shot 9-of-21 from the field, 3-0f-8 from the three-point line and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.</p><p>With the loss, the Knicks have assured themselves that they will be retuning to Boston for Game 5. They will get another crack at it though on their home floor with Game 4 scheduled for Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Brunson, Al Horford exchange 4th quarter words in Game 3

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-passes-kevin-garnett-all-time-nba-playoffs-list');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ageless Al Horford passes Celtics legend Kevin Garnett on all-time NBA Playoffs list');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ageless-Al-Horford-passes-Kevin-Garnett-on-all-time-NBA-Playoffs-list2.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ageless Al Horford passes Celtics legend Kevin Garnett on all-time NBA Playoffs list</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-05T22:25:47-07:00">May 5th, 10:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-05T22:27:53-07:00">May 5th, 10:27pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Al Horford surpassed Kevin Garnett in one of the NBA’s all-time playoff lists in the Boston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-shot-selection">Celtics’ 108-105 loss to the New York Knicks</a> in Game 1 of the East Semis of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Monday night.</p><p>Going into the game, Horford secured 1,529 rebounds throughout his illustrative playoff career that started in 2008. He ranked 17th on the all-time playoff list in total rebounds. He had himself between Garnett (1,534) and Paul Silas (1,527).</p><p>Horford was <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1919597752436064317" rel="noopener">successful in his pursuit</a> of overtaking Garnett for the 16th spot on the all-time chart. In 34 minutes of action, he finished with seven points, seven rebounds and a block. At age 38, he now has 1,536 rebounds and counting.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Al Horford, Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ageless-Al-Horford-passes-Kevin-Garnett-on-all-time-NBA-Playoffs-list.jpg1_.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Al Horford’s achievement of passing Kevin Garnett became a minor feat as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-fans-in-shambles-after-painful-game-1-collapse-vs-knicks">Celtics blew a 20-point lead in their loss</a> to the Knicks.</p><p>The way Boston lost the game was historic. They attempted 60 shots from beyond the arc throughout the night as it included overtime, setting a new NBA playoff record in the process. However, they were inefficient with their shot-making as it greatly cost them with the loss at home.</p><p>Five players scored in double-digits for Boston in the defeat. Jayson Tatum led the way with 23 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block. However, he shot 7-of-23 overall, including 4-of-15 from three. Jaylen Brown came next with 23 points and seven rebounds, Derrick White put up 19 points and 11 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 16 points and six rebounds, while Payton Pritchard provided 13 points.</p><p>Boston also has to worry about potential absences moving forward. Kristaps Porzingis missed the last three quarters of the game due to an illness while Sam Hauser suffered an apparent knee injury that may sideline him for a portion of the series if it’s severe.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/3-boston-celtics-bold-predictions-for-knicks-series-in-2025-nba-playoffs">Celtics will look to bounce back</a> by evening up the series against the Knicks. Game 2 will take place on May 7 at 7 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ageless Al Horford passes Celtics legend Kevin Garnett on all-time NBA Playoffs list

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/orlando-magic/magic-fans-troll-al-horford-for-defending-jayson-tatum-with-crying-shirts');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic fans troll Al Horford for defending Jayson Tatum with crying shirts');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Magic-news-Orlando-fans-troll-Al-Horford-for-defending-Jayson-Tatum-with-crying-shirts.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Magic fans troll Al Horford for defending Jayson Tatum with crying shirts</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-25T19:44:31-07:00">April 25th, 7:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-25T19:46:06-07:00">April 25th, 7:46pm</time><address><a>Sebastian Aranda</a>Sebastian Aranda is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A former college soccer player, his passion for sports continues to inspire his drive and teamwork. His academic journey fueled his curiosity and discipline, which he applies in all areas of life.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Orlando Magic fans didn’t just show up for<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/celtics-vs-magic-game-3-prediction-odds-pick-spread-for-nba-playoffs-2025"> Game 3 against the Boston Celtics</a> — they cooked them with a side of savage trolling. While the scoreboard showed a blowout, the real highlight of the game might’ve come from the stands, where a group of Orlando fans executed a legendary playoff prank.</p><p>While the Magic were dismantling Boston on the court – final score: yikes – a group of fans turned the stands into a sideshow of pure trolling. The first shot was fired with a row of custom-made T-shirts boldly reading: “<a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1915918190036636139" rel="noopener">Al Horford is my dad.</a>” If you’re confused — good, that was the point. It’s reverse-psychology trolling at its finest, poking fun at Horford’s history of dominant performances against Orlando. Considering Horford has historically torched Orlando throughout his career, it felt like a bizarre way of saying, “Yeah, we remember. But not tonight.”</p><p>But that was just the appetizer.</p><p>Timing? Impeccable. With the Celtics down bad, Orlando led by more than 30 at one point, the camera cut to the fans in full “Daddy Horford” uniform, proudly standing behind the basket.</p><p>The real viral moment came when Horford stepped up to the free-throw line, and Magic fans seated behind the basket mooned him. Yes, actual pants were dropped, cheeks were clapped, and chaos was unleashed. The vet missed the free throw, which instantly became the pettiest stat of the night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">These two Magic fans are wearing Al Horford crying shirts 😭 <a href="https://t.co/JoLvKuS2jd">pic.twitter.com/JoLvKuS2jd</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1915918190036636139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Between the personality-driven distractions and the “dad” tees, Orlando fans basically ran their own offensive scheme from the stands. And it worked. Horford had a rough night, Boston looked lost, and the Magic cruised to a statement win and set the tone for what might be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/magic-news-kentavious-caldwell-pope-aggressive-mindset-amid-0-2-hole-vs-celtics" rel="noopener">most hilariously hostile environment in the playoffs</a>.</p><p>And to be fair, it wasn’t just the fans doing damage. Paolo Banchero and the Magic were in full control, stifling Boston’s offense and dominating the tempo from tip-off to buzzer.</p><p>And if you thought the fans were done? Game 4 might require a full parental advisory.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic fans troll Al Horford for defending Jayson Tatum with crying shirts

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-kentavious-caldwell-pope-accused-again-by-al-horford-for-dirty-play');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope accused again by Al Horford for dirty play');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/USATSI_25998071_168384032_lowres.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Magic’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope accused again by Al Horford for dirty play</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-24T12:57:15-07:00">April 24th, 12:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-24T12:57:15-07:00">April 24th, 12:57pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tensions escalated once again between the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, as Celtics veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/kentavious-caldwell-pope-al-horford-jaylen-brown">Al Horford accused Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of committing a second act of dirty play</a> in as many games.</p><p>The incident occurred in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s contest, which ended in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-paolo-banchero-jamahl-mosley-send-message-to-refs-after-game-2-loss">109-100 loss for the Magic</a>. After Caldwell-Pope missed a contested baseline jumper, he collided with Horford as both players transitioned down the court, sending them to the floor. Horford quickly rose to his feet, visibly frustrated, and had to be held back by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and teammate Jrue Holiday. Jaylen Brown also appeared to exchange words with Caldwell-Pope during the aftermath.</p><p>Speaking postgame, Horford told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that he believed the contact was intentional.</p><p>“Yeah, it was,” Horford said. “I was starting to run on the break and he got into me there and impeded my progress.”</p><p>This latest altercation follows a flagrant 1 foul by Caldwell-Pope in Game 1 on Celtics star Jayson Tatum. The foul led to a hard fall that left <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/is-jayson-tatum-playing-tonight-celtics-vs-magic-game-2-injury-report">Tatum with a wrist injury, causing him to miss Game 2</a>. Horford had already addressed the play before Wednesday’s game, stating that the contact was not isolated.</p><p>“It was something extra,” Horford said Tuesday. “It was about the second or third time that he went at him in that way, so yeah.”</p><h2><b>Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws more criticism from Al Horford as Magic prepare for Game 3 vs. Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Al-Horford-is-held-back-by-referee-James-Williams-head-coach-Joe-Mazzulla-and-guard-Jrue-Holiday.jpg"><figcaption>© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Caldwell-Pope, who was signed last offseason to provide veteran leadership and playoff experience, has found himself at the center of controversy as frustrations between the two teams continue to build. In addition to the altercations, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-stars-urge-trust-in-66-million-veteran-amid-brutal-playoff-slump">has struggled offensively, shooting just 1-for-9 from the field in Game 2</a> and going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-cole-anthony-fires-back-at-al-horford-over-jayson-tatum-injury-comments">Magic guard Cole Anthony defended Caldwell-Pope</a> when asked about the accusations ahead of Game 2.</p><p>“I really don’t care. That stuff really means nothing to me,” Anthony told Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede. “At the end of the day, if anything, I look at it like a positive because now we’ve got them complaining.”</p><p>Anthony continued, maintaining the Magic’s intent is never to injure opponents.</p><p>“We all play this game. We all play this game the right way,” he said. “We’re just going to keep mucking it up. You’re just giving us good feedback.”</p><p>Now down 0-2 in the series for the second consecutive postseason, the Magic will nevertheless aim to reset on their home floor. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled at the KIA Center in Orlando, starting with Game 3 on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope accused again by Al Horford for dirty play

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/orlando-magic/kentavious-caldwell-pope-al-horford-jaylen-brown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gets into it with Al Horford, Jaylen Brown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kentavious-Caldwell-Pope-gets-into-it-with-Al-Horford-Jaylen-Brown.jpg"></figure><h1>Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gets into it with Al Horford, Jaylen Brown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-23T17:38:13-07:00">April 23rd, 5:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-23T21:05:58-07:00">April 23rd, 9:05pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Things got heated in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-makes-honest-magic-admission-after-2-0-series-start">Game 2 between the Celtics and Magic</a> when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope collided with Al Horford, sending both players to the floor. Jaylen Brown <a href="https://nesn.com/2025/04/celtics-al-horford-magic-guard-get-into-on-court-incident-in-game-2/" rel="noopener">took exception to the play</a> and confronted Caldwell-Pope, sparking a brief exchange of words.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Things getting chippy in Celtics-Magic Game 2 after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Al Horford hit the ground 👀</p><p>Jaylen Brown had some words with KCP after his foul on Big Al.</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@danield1214</a>) <a href="https://t.co/3Fyt1CUyfK">pic.twitter.com/3Fyt1CUyfK</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1915194652388667459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The drama, which began in Game 1 after Caldwell-Pope’s hard foul on Jayson Tatum left the Celtics star with a wrist injury, carried over into Game 2 Wednesday night at TD Garden. Horford had called out Caldwell-Pope for his actions, accusing him of going “at [Tatum] in that way” multiple times. It didn’t take long for Caldwell-Pope to respond — not just with words, but with more physicality.</p><p>Midway through the second quarter of Game 2, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/magic-news-cole-anthony-fires-back-at-al-horford-over-jayson-tatum-injury-comments">tempers flared when Horford contested a baseline jumper</a> from Caldwell-Pope, then headed up the floor on a fast break. That’s when Caldwell-Pope appeared to intentionally step into Horford’s path, tripping him and sending both players crashing to the court. Horford quickly sprang to his feet and had to be held back by head coach Joe Mazzulla and teammate Jrue Holiday. Jaylen Brown also had some words for KCP in the aftermath.</p><h2><b>The Celtics take a 2-0 series lead over the Magic</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/USATSI_25998071_168384032_lowres.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“It was [intentional],” Horford told The Boston Globe. “I was starting to run on the break and he got into me there and impeded my progress.” Officials reviewed the play but ruled it a common foul with no flagrant or technical assessed. Still, the bad blood was hard to ignore.</p><p>Caldwell-Pope, who was booed every time he touched the ball, brushed off the growing tension before Game 2, calling the Tatum foul “just playoff basketball.” But his Game 2 performance didn’t help his case — he went just 1-for-9 from the floor and failed to register an impact in Orlando’s 109-100 loss.</p><p>Horford, meanwhile, came just shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, and played a crucial leadership role on both ends. The series now shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on Friday night, but the Celtics seem to have the mental edge — and a new postseason villain in Caldwell-Pope. Whether this physical tone continues could shape the rest of this heated matchup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gets into it with Al Horford, Jaylen Brown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-cole-anthony-fires-back-at-al-horford-over-jayson-tatum-injury-comments');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic’s Cole Anthony fires back at Al Horford over negative Jayson Tatum injury comments');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Cole-Anthony-50-drives-past-Boston-Celtics-forward-Torrey-Craig.jpg"><figcaption>© Mike Watters-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Magic’s Cole Anthony fires back at Al Horford over negative Jayson Tatum injury comments</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-23T13:20:38-07:00">April 23rd, 1:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-23T13:20:38-07:00">April 23rd, 1:20pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony <a href="https://x.com/therealbeede/status/1915073246375924141?s=46&amp;t=zbZh6HTk7I35gAbTbGAAaA" rel="noopener">fired back</a> ahead of Game 2 in response to criticism surrounding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-breaks-silence-severity-wrist-injury">Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s flagrant foul on Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in Game 1</a> of their first-round playoff series.</p><p>Speaking to the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede, Anthony dismissed any negative reactions to the play and embraced the physicality his team brought to the series opener.</p><p>“I really don’t care. That stuff really means nothing to me,” Anthony said. “At the end of the day, if anything, I look at it like a positive because now we’ve got them complaining. We’ve just got to keep our same level of physicality and at the same time, know nobody’s trying to take anybody out and hurt anybody.”</p><h2><b>Cole Anthony defends Magic’s physicality as Al Horford criticizes KCP foul that injured Jayson Tatum</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kentavious-Caldwell-Pope-3-controls-the-ball-against-the-Atlanta-Hawks.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Anthony made it clear that the Magic don’t intend to back down from their approach.</p><p>“We all play this game. We all play this game the right way,” he continued. “We’re just going to keep mucking it up. You’re just giving us good feedback.”</p><p>His comments came in direct response to remarks from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-calls-out-kentavious-caldwell-pope-hard-foul-jayson-tatum">Celtics veteran Al Horford, who criticized Caldwell-Pope’s repeated contact</a> with Tatum.</p><p>“It was something extra,” Horford told Celtics reporter Daniel Donabedian on Tuesday. “It was about the second or third time that he went at him in that way, so yeah.”</p><p>Tatum fell hard on the play after being hit by Caldwell-Pope during a layup attempt, resulting in a flagrant 1 foul. He has since been diagnosed with a right distal radius bone bruise and is officially listed as doubtful for Game 2.</p><p>Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley also <a href="https://x.com/therealBeede/status/1915064558374232265" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> on the foul and questioned the severity of the ruling.</p><p>“I didn’t see the flagrant,” Mosley said. “Two guys were going for the block, and I think it was just the fall [that] probably set it off more than anything.”</p><p>Mosley emphasized that physicality is a normal part of postseason basketball.</p><p>“It’s playoff basketball,” he said. “And I don’t think that warranted what it was. The fall is probably what more so drew the attention to it, possibly being a flagrant more than anything.”</p><p>Tatum’s injury status could impact Boston’s rotation significantly in Game 2. Mosley acknowledged the uncertainty.</p><p>“I mean, it changes a ton,” Mosley said. “But the next [injury] report will come out probably after this shootaround, so we’ll know more as this goes on towards the game.”</p><p>Game 2 between the Magic and Celtics tips off Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT. Boston leads the series 1-0.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic’s Cole Anthony fires back at Al Horford over negative Jayson Tatum injury comments

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-teases-jaylen-brown-great-health-status');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Al Horford teases Jaylen Brown’s ‘great’ health status before playoffs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Al-Horford-teases-Jaylen-Browns-great-health-status-before-playoffs.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Al Horford teases Jaylen Brown’s ‘great’ health status before playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T12:26:27-07:00">April 15th, 12:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T14:39:08-07:00">April 15th, 2:39pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — Last June, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-insider-makes-clear-favorite-declaration-title-defense">the Boston Celtics earned the luxury of being the reigning champs</a>, so there aren’t a ton of question marks surrounding their playoff readiness this April. However, if there is anything that looms large for Boston ahead of the postseason, it’s the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-gets-crucial-injury-update-ahead-of-playoffs">health of Celtics star Jaylen Brown</a>.</p><p>The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-how-jaylen-brown-injury-forced-him-dominate-suns">currently dealing with an injured right knee</a>. He missed the final three games of the regular season and did not look like himself in his most recent in-game appearance against the New York Knicks last Tuesday. Brown also received pain management injections in his knee earlier this month to alleviate the rehab process.</p><p>Despite these concerning signs, the Celtics were pleased that the four-time All-Star was a full participant at practice on Tuesday morning.</p><p>“He looked great today,” veteran center Al Horford told the media. “I was very happy to see him out there doing everything. It’s a really good sign for us.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Al Horford on Jaylen Brown’s performance at practice: </p><p>“He looked great today … It’s a good sign for us.” <a href="https://t.co/zY6c643vkR">pic.twitter.com/zY6c643vkR</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1912180582810816843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although the C’s don’t know who they’ll face in the first round of the playoffs yet, they know the quest for back-to-back titles will officially begin on Sunday. That gives Brown an entire week to brace for the intensity of the postseason. With this opportunity for rest and Brown’s toughness in mind, Horford sounded confident that his star teammate is ready to compete, even if he’s not at full strength.</p><p>“Jaylen is very strong mentally,” Horford praised. “I feel like he finds a way. He’s out here putting in the work, trying to get himself ready to go. He understands what’s in front of us and I know that, mentally, he’s going to be in a good place.”</p><h2><b>If necessary, the Celtics are ready to step up for Jaylen Brown</b></h2><p>Another NBA vet, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, was optimistic about Brown’s status following practice.</p><p>“Nobody is worried about him,” Holiday said. “We all know that he wants to be out on the court every time we play. We also know he’s going to be prepared when the time comes.”</p><p>Collectively, the Celtics did an excellent job of overcoming injuries. They were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-kristaps-porzingis-explains-absence-unidentified-viral-illness">without starting center Kristaps Porzingis</a> for 40 games and Brown had his most regular season absences since the shortened 2020-21 season. Boston still managed to go 61-21 and finish in second place in the Eastern Conference while giving more than 15 starting nods to eight different players (and at least one starting nod to 15 players).</p><p>The next-man-up mindset was pivotal to the C’s last season as well, and Holiday knows that anyone on the roster is willing to step up for Brown — and anybody else — if need be.</p><p>“We’ve seen people step up throughout the whole year,” Holiday stated. “And we’ll continue to do that…He probably won’t even accept [a break] if he needs it. But whatever it is, we’ll be there for him.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jrue Holiday on Jaylen Brown and how he’s not one to show weakness:</p><p>“He looked good to me … Nobody is worried about him.” <a href="https://t.co/0LiZWTNyIo">pic.twitter.com/0LiZWTNyIo</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1912185156829315458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>As Brown prepares for the playoff grind, the Celtics are preparing to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/hawks-vs-magic-prediction-odds-pick-spread-for-nba-play-in-2025">match up with either the Orlando Magic or the Atlanta Hawks</a>. The two Southeast Division foes will square off Tuesday night in the Play-In Tournament with the right to play the defending champs on the line. Both squads won the regular season series against Boston, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-playoffs-power-rankings-celtics-thunder-nba-finals-favorites">neither will be the favorite in the first round</a>.</p><p>It’s the Celtics’ job to show why that is, as Brown and company will try to capture consecutive NBA titles, something that hasn’t been accomplished in franchise history in almost five decades.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Al Horford teases Jaylen Brown’s ‘great’ health status before playoffs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ncaa-football/florida-basketball-news-al-horfords-courtside-message-walter-clayton-jr-national-title-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Al Horford’s courtside message to Florida basketball’s Walter Clayton Jr. after national title win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Walter-Clayton-Jr.-celebrates-national-title-win.jpg"><figcaption>© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Al Horford’s courtside message to Florida basketball’s Walter Clayton Jr. after national title win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-08T06:20:33-07:00">April 8th, 6:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-08T06:21:15-07:00">April 8th, 6:21am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NCAA Football</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Florida basketball program won its third national championship on Monday night with a 65-63 win over Houston, and Gators legend Al Horford greeted <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/florida-basketball-news-walter-clayton-jr-9-word-declaration-march-madness-win-fans-going-wild">star guard Walter Clayton Jr.</a> after the game, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1909474292376514956" rel="noopener">giving him a message</a> and congratulating him on the win.</p><p>“You’re a dawg. You’re a dawg. Winner. Congrats,” Al Horford said.</p><p>Horford was a member of the Florida basketball teams that went back-to-back with Billy Donovan as head coach. Now, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/florida-basketball-news-todd-golden-makes-national-championship-history">Gators are back on top with Todd Golden at the helm</a>, and Clayton’s heroics throughout the tournament are a big reason why. He came up big in the second-round game against UConn that could have gone the other way, as well as the Texas Tech and Auburn games in the Elite Eight and Final Four. Clayton is known for making off-balance, contested three-point shots that the defense can do nothing about. He had a bit of a rough game against Houston, but showed up in the closing minutes to help the Gators get over the hump.</p><p>Clayton finishes his senior year as a national champion. He started his college career at Iona in the 2021-2022 season, but did not become a starter until the 2022-23 season under Rick Pitino. The Gaels were knocked out in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament by eventual champion UConn. Clayton then entered the transfer portal as Pitino left Iona for the St. John’s head coaching job. That is when Clayton joined Golden’s Florida program.</p><p>Clayton earned All-SEC honors two times, among other awards during his two years at Florida. He is a success story that benefitted from the modern age of college sports, specifically with the transfer portal. He turned his quality second season at Iona into an opportunity to lead a high major program, and now he can go out on top as a national champion.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.0	6.2	2.1	0.9	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.0	6.2	2.1	0.9	0.6

Al Horford news

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