Mike Budenholzer first became a head coach in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. Long before he called the shots for the Atlanta Hawks, Budenholzer was coaching Al Horford and the Hawks over several seasons in the last decade.
Horford is still around, and on Wednesday night, he and the Boston Celtics faced Budenholzers’ Suns. Before the game, the 55-year-old Budenholzer gave Horford his flowers.
“One of my favorite people, players of all time,” Budenholzer said when asked by Shane Young of Forbes Sports about Horford (h/t Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “Like, literally, probably wouldn’t be sitting here without Al Horford….He’s one of just the great teammates, great humans I’ve ever been around.”
“I hope we kill him tonight,” added Budeholzer.
Phoenix Suns’ win streak goes down in flames in loss to Celtics
Well, the outcome of the game could not have been much more different than what Budenholzer hoped for, as the Celtics easily dismantled Phoenix via a score of 132-102, with Horford playing a significant role in the victory.
The 38-year-old Horford had a double-double of 36 points and 10 rebounds with five assists, two blocks and a steal in 26 minutes. As for the Suns, they were paced by Kevin Durant, who had 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting but he did not get enough support from his teammates, with even Devin Booker having a rough night. Booker finished with 14 points on only 4-for-13 shooting.
The loss to the Celtics ended Phoenix’s four-game win streak and dropped them to 35-38 on the season.
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