Jrue Holiday calls Al Horford ‘most reliable player’ he’s ever played with after another vintage performance 

For the first minutes of Thursday’s match between the Celtics and the Suns, it was a Kevin Durant – Al Horford confrontation. Like we all hoped?

Facing off for the 26th time in their professional careers, the No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the 2007 NBA Draft, respectively, each scored 8 points in the first six minutes. Horford hit a patented three right off the bat, and Durant sank a lot of mid-ranges, just like he has for the past 17 years in the league.

But, for just the second time, in the Celtics’ 127-112 win over the Suns, Horford outplayed the former MVP, scoring a game-high 24 points. Durant finished with 19 points and only scored 5 points in the final three quarters.

Horford made six threes on the night – tied for the most of his career – and also finished with 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. He is now shooting 40.9% from three-point range this year, following up a 44.6% average from three-point range last season.

It was yet another performance that had fans scratching their heads, wondering how a nearly 38-year-old center, who has logged nearly 40,000 NBA minutes, can still perform at such a high level.

Although Horford joined the bench this season, he has still earned 26 starts so far this year, often replacing Kristaps Porzingis, who missed 20 games due to a myriad of injuries.

A big night at Al Horford is often a sign of good ball movement and a healthy offense – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown drawing so much attention, collapsing the defense and finally finding their veteran sharpshooter at the right time . Against the Suns, the Celtics finished with 31 assists, all while Jaylen Brown exploded for 37 points and Jayson Tatum for 26.

“Teams are going to take away your first option,” Horford told CLNS Media after the game. “We do a better job looking at second, third and even fourth options on offense. It just shows the growth of our group.

It wasn’t just the offensive outburst that stood out; Horford was also brilliant defensively against the Suns. He contested 12 shots – five more than any other player on the court – and deflected 4 passes (for context, the Suns as a team collectively only deflected 6 passes).

“Al is the OG, but he’s the most reliable player I’ve ever played with,” Holiday told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after the win. “Being able to be on the field with him is an honor. Being there with him, I know everything will be okay.

“The most reliable player of all time.” That’s quite a compliment coming from a guy who played with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo, Anthony Davis – and over 200 other NBA players. But it’s a common belief in the Celtics locker room that there’s no one like Al Horford.

Jayson Tatum, who sits with Horford on the team plane and has long considered him a close friend and mentor, echoed Holiday’s statement.

“We have so much love and respect for Al and the things he has accomplished in this league,” Tatum said. “We understand how valuable he is to our team – his presence, on and off the field, his voice, the way he does his job every day, shows up, is there for us. [He’s] the ultimate teammate and someone we are truly lucky to have.