BOSTON — Boston Celtics big man Al Horford downplayed the flagrant foul whistled against him late in Wednesday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, taking a jab at Blake Griffin in the process.
Horford and Griffin collided near midcourt as Horford tried to break up an inbounds pass with Griffin sprinting out ahead following a Boston make. Horford’s right arm hit Griffin’s head but the Detroit forward dramatically spun a full 360 degrees before flailing to the parquet on his stomach. Griffin sat with his hand over his face, then stopped to rest on his knees, before finally standing back up.
Horford, who offered a dismissive wave as Griffin laid prone, wore a disbelieving smirk as referees initiated a video review before declaring it a flagrant-1 foul.
"Man, that was — Blake is a great actor. He’s a great actor,” said Horford. "I was going for the ball and he sold it well. So, yeah, I don’t think that was a flagrant foul.”
☘️ CELTICS 118, PISTONS 110
Griffin, who had a propensity to sell contact throughout Wednesday’s game, stayed in the game and made both freebies.
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Horford flirted with a triple-double while putting up his second loud stat line in as many nights. Horford finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists over 31 minutes in Boston’s 118-110 triumph.
The Celtics posted wins over Philadelphia and Detroit — both without Kyrie Irving — to head into the All-Star break with a bit of momentum. A fired-up Horford aided both victories and he sparred with both Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond on consecutive nights.
"It’s a rise-to-the-occasion-type thing, and I feel that our group has responded the last two games,” said Horford. "I just want to make sure we all understand the opportunity we have in front of us, and do anything I can to help compete.”
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