Al Horford Comments On Getting Back On Track

The last week hasn’t been that easy for the Boston Celtics.

They are still the second-best team in the Eastern Conference but they were not performing like it recently, losing three games in a row including two tough overtime defeats.

That meant that they weren’t just wanting a win on Wednesday, they were needing it.

They got it: they beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 115-93, ending their losing streak.

According to NBA writer Jack Simone, Celtics big man Al Horford knew the importance of that victory, saying after the game, “It was very important. I mean, we lost three in a row in games that I feel like we played well for a good amount of them. We just had some lapses. And just getting out of that losing streak, it’s good for our group.”

Al Horford on breaking losing streak:

"It was very important. I mean, we lost three in a row in games that I feel like we played well for a good amount of them. We just had some lapses. And just getting out of that losing streak, it’s good for our group."

— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) March 9, 2023

Horford is clearly right: getting another win may be a huge boost to the team’s morale and help them surge forward in the weeks ahead.

For a team that was in its own head, this could give them a major boost.

They will next face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, before games against the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, then the Blazers again.

It’s no coincidence that the Celtics won with most of their biggest stars playing again.

Robert Williams and Payton Pritchard were out with injuries but Jayson Tatum, Horford, Marcus Smart, and others were healthy and ready to go hard.

There is no question that this is a team that plays best when its brightest stars are healthy.

Unfortunately, plenty of injuries have hurt the team lately.

They have also suffered a few lapses of good judgment and inconsistency.

There were some who worried they could suffer even more avoidable losses but Wednesday’s victory over the Blazers shows that perhaps this brief, rough rut for the Celtics has come to an end.