Celtics forward Al Horford a finalist for NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year
'He just sets the tone, more with his actions than anything else. I really hope he gets it. He deserves it. He's one of the best teammates and we're lucky to have him.'
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The other finalists are: Rockets center
Steven Adams
, Clippers forward
Nicolas Batum
, Knicks guard
Jalen Brunson
, Warriors guard
Stephen Curry
, Pistons forward
Tobias Harris
, Grizzlies forward
Jaren Jackson
Jr., Pacers forward
James Johnson
, Nuggets center
DeAndre Jordan
, Bucks center
Brook Lopez
, Cavaliers guard
Donovan Mitchell
, and Thunder forward
Jaylin Williams
.
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The Timberwolves'
Mike Conley
won the award last year. The Celtics'
Jrue Holiday
is a three-time winner (2020, 2022, 2023).
Suns coach
Mike Budenholzer
coached Horford for several years in Atlanta, where they helped set the Hawks' franchise record for wins (60) in a season.
'He's just a super smart player,' Budenholzer said. 'He's just a high-IQ guy on both ends of the court. Selfless. Does anything to win. You really embrace his spacing, shooting threes, and then being able to attack the closeout from behind the line and passing and doing all the different things you can do with more space.
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'He has kind of mastered that, I think that's like an old story now, but I think he always likes to go in the post and shoot a little righty hook and do some work down there. He's just a unique talent and a unique individual who is continuing to impact the game.'
G-League playoffs
The Maine Celtics will tip off the G-League Eastern Conference Finals against the Osceola Magic Sunday night in Florida in a matchup featuring the two most recent G-League MVPs.
Maine guard
JD Davison
won the honor on Wednesday. Osceola guard
Mac McClung
, the reigning NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, was G-League MVP last year.
Mazzulla said he's looking forward to seeing Boston's two-way players continue to grow during this playoff run.
'Just continue to play Celtic basketball and do what [coach]
Tyler
[
Lashbook
] wants,' Mazzulla said. 'Making sure you stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor. Put yourself in position to win. There's been great carryover regardless of if guys are there or here. Just not missing a beat on the things that we need to get better at. Those things are consistent in both places and they just have to stick to that.'
Colorful kicks
The Celtics hosted their second-annual Autism Acceptance night. Mazzulla supported the cause by wearing customized sneakers featuring the rainbow infinity symbol, which represents the neurodiversity paradigm.
The symbol also appears in the logo for the To The Max foundation, a nonprofit founded by former Celtics assistant
Scott Morrison
in 2022.
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Morrison's son,
Max
, who was diagnosed with autism, is Mazzulla's godson.
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