Al Horford questionable to play in his return to Boston

The Philadelphia 76ers have had plenty of interesting matchups on their schedule recently, including Al Horford’s return to Boston tonight. It’s his first game back in Boston to face the Celtics since signing with the Sixers in free agency this summer, but to everyone’s disappointment, there’s a chance he won’t be playing.

Horford underwent treatment this morning for left knee soreness and left hamstring tightness, and is currently listed as questionable to play.

As Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia has mentioned, Horford did go through shoot-around this morning and his status will be updated once he completes pre-game warmups.

As for the Celtics’ injuries, Marcus Smart (left eye infection) and Robert Williams (left hip soreness) are both out, while Gordon Hayward (facial contusion) is probable to play.

Horford’s value to the Sixers has been increasingly evident. As expected, he’s completely changed their lineup versatility, elevating the team whenever Joel Embiid is on the bench with his defense, shooting and playmaking. If Horford isn’t able to play in Boston, Kyle O’Quinn should be back in action after not playing in 8 of the last 9 games. O’Quinn’s only appearance was an extended run of 27 minutes on December 7, when the Sixers demolished the Cleveland Cavaliers 141-94 and Embiid didn’t play.

In the Sixers’ first game against the Celtics (their season-opener on October 23), Philly came out on top, winning 107-93. The Celtics have been putting together a terrific season since then, and currently sit at third place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-6 record. They also rank in the top seven for both offensive and defensive rating.

Click here to read LB’s full preview for tonight’s game, by Sean Kennedy.