Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown praised big man Al Horford for his impact in a rare road win against the Sacramento Kings. Horford amassed a career-high plus-41 plus-minus upon getting the start at center for injured Sixers star Joel Embiid.
The Sixers were also without Ben Simmons, leaving them plenty shorthanded against a team on the verge of a playoff push.
Horford was an all-around factor, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out six assists, and burying two 3-pointers in a 125-108 win, only their 10th on the road this season. Brown made sure to highlight Horford's contributions:
“It’s kind of an unheard-of number. He was that dominant,” Brown said of Horford's ridiculous plus-41 plus-minus, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic. “Not because he had 40 points. It’s just defensively, he was excellent, and offensively, he was efficient.
“He was our bell ringer. He was excellent tonight.”
Horford has drawn plenty of criticism since he was yanked out of the Sixers' starting lineup in favor of more mobility and spacing. The experiment of putting him next to Joel Embiid has simply not worked as expected, but Horford shined on Thursday, anchoring the frontcourt in a night of need.
The Sixers have lost four of their last seven games after winning four straight. The win over Sacramento snapped a foul nine-game skid on the road, which has been a major reason for concern for this playoff-bound franchise.
Horford's role as the leader of the Sixers' second unit is expected to continue once Embiid returns from injury. For the season the veteran big man is averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 30.7 minutes per game. He's shooting 43.4% overall, 32.8% from 3-land and 74.6% from the free-throw line. His current field goal percentage is the worst of his career by a wide margin.
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