Why Al Horford Ran Off Court After Celtics’ Win Over Raptors

Al Horford didn’t stick around on the court to bask in the moment after making the game-sealing play in the Celtics’ win Saturday night.

Toronto had a chance to tie or win its matchup with Boston as it inbounded the ball with 3.8 seconds left trailing by two at Scotiabank Arena. After haphazardly crossing halfcourt, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam had his pocket picked by Horford, who stole the basketball right as the final buzzer sounded. But instead of celebrating with his Celtics teammates by the bench on the opposite end of the court, Horford ran down the tunnel and left the floor.

What was the purpose of exiting the hardwood so quickly? As the veteran forward revealed on Twitter shortly after Boston’s ninth straight victory, he was eager to get in a postgame pump.

“To get a lift!” Horford responded to a Twitter user when asked where he was going when he started running off the court.

Horford’s clutch theft was huge for the shorthanded Celtics, who played Saturday’s game without Jayson Tatum and only received 31 combined minutes from Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart, who suffered injuries.

Boston will try to extend its win streak to 10 games Monday night when it visits the Orlando Magic, who swept the Celtics in consecutive games at TD Garden last month. Tipoff from Amway Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.