Al Horford to sit out Wednesday’s matchup with Cleveland

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford will sit out Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Horford has played sixteen games in a row after nine of thirteen games from November 21 to December 21 due to left knee issues (patellofemoral pain syndrome).

With his minute restriction behind him, Horford is finally feeling back to his old ways, but he noted after Monday’s win that those restrictions were an important part of getting him to this point.

If we weren’t doing that, I don’t know if I would be in this position now,” said Horford after Boston’s win over Miami. “But I think that it’s not going to be an issue for the rest of the season. So I’m happy about that. ... I think the medical group here did an unbelievable job with that because as a player you want to be out there playing and you want to play through stuff. And I’ve done that in the past. They really sat me down and were like, ‘No, this is the right thing. And you will see the difference.’ And I’ve noticed the difference.”

The 32-year-old has posted double digit points in 6 of the Celtics last 7 games, as well two double-doubles over that span. Horford is averaging 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 38 games this season.

A healthy Horford is a great sign for the Celtics moving forward.

“It just feels really good to be healthy and be able to play at a high level again.”

On another note, our own Andrew Doxy noticed one of the best two-tweet sequences I’ve ever seen after Boston announced that Horford would miss Wednesday’s matchup:

The Celtics and Cavaliers tip off on Wednesday from TD Garden at 7:30 PM EST.