Dominican Al Horford does dirty work for Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals returned to Boston for the first time since 2010 and the Celtics latched onto the opportunity in Game 3 by beating the Golden State Warriors 116-100 and putting the series 2-1 in their favor.

Center Al Horford, who added 11 points after shooting 5/7 from the field in only 30 minutes, said he felt the crowd’s energy when he was going through his shooting slot 1.5 hours ahead of the game.

Horford knew it was going to be different

“The energy from our fans was just contagious,” Horford said postgame. “As soon as I saw that (pregame), I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s going to be different tonight.’ They stayed with us even through that because sometimes things can get shaky.”

The Dominican did the dirty work and dominated the boards; three of the eight he caught were offensive. Additionally, one of the keys in the development of Game 3 was Boston’s ability to rebound the ball better and outscore them 47-31.

Likewise, Horford had a crucial role in the distribution of the offense by generating six assists. His defensive work was not insufficient, since in addition to blocking a shot- in an attempt by Klay Thompson to crush the rim- and stealing the ball on one occasion, his presence altered the Warriors’ shots.

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Toscano’s few seconds of fame

Mexican forward Juan Toscano played two minutes in the third game of the NBA Finals and registered a +/- of -2 during that period. The only statistical record for him was a turnover.

Warriors vs Celtics Game 4

Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be on Friday, June 10 at the TD Garden, with engagement starting at 9:00 p.m. ET.