Al Horford continues his dominance against Philadelphia 76ers

With just over seven minutes to go in the ball game, and the Celtics trailing by two, Al Horford threw an ill-advised pass to Neemias Queta that resulted in a fast break for Philadelphia.

It was an uncharacteristically poor decision for the veteran, who often serves as the most calming yet energizing presence on the roster.

So, he made sure to make up for it.

Horford sprinted back on defense, denied Tobias Harris at the rim, and then teamed up with Jaylen Brown to block him once again.

On the ensuing offensive possession, Horford drove and collapsed the defense, kicking it out to Jrue Holiday for a wide-open corner three. Swish. The Celtics took a one-point lead.

“Just competing, trying to make something happen,” Horford told NBC Boston sideline reporter Abby Chin when asked of his consecutive blocks. “Earlier in the quarter, Mo Bamba came in and got an easy tip-in. It was probably my fault, so I feel like I needed to make up for that. In that play, I was just trying to protect the basket, trying to get us going.”

Horford scored six more points down the stretch, including a post-up with two minutes to go and four-of-four fourth quarter free throws.

The Celtics, despite Jayson Tatum’s third quarter ejection and a pretty uninspiring first half, came away with a win against Philadelphia to improve to a league-best 15-4 record.

“We had a choice,” Horford said. “We could’ve folded, or found an excuse, but I feel like our group, we really rallied together and understood that we needed to keep competing and find a way to win.”

By the end of the night, he finished with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a number of hustle plays that got the bench on their feet.

At 37 years old, much has been made of Horford’s continued on-court success, despite his being one of the oldest players in the league. Primarily coming off the bench this season, he’s averaged 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this season.

But, Horford always seems to save his best showings for Philadelphia. His 20-point game last night was his first 20-point performance since March 5th’s double-overtime loss to the Knicks, and the previous game…