* Tonight on TNT: Celtics vs. Timberwolves (8 ET)

Al Horford got touted for scoring his 10,000th point the other night, which is kind of like James Harden talking up his favorite shaving cream.

Nice, but largely irrelevant.

“Lot of years in the league,” was Horford’s go-to line after the Boston Celtics dismantled the rebuilding Chicago Bulls at United Center. “Year 11. That’s what happens when you play a lot of years.”

Horford sat down for the last time against Chicago with 4:07 left in the third quarter and his team leading by 37 points. He was a plus-31 in the game and became one of 16 active players to reach 10,000 points while averaging no more than 11.4 field-goal attempts.

He’s also the 14th in NBA history among players who were named to at least five All-Star teams. Horford and the Charlotte Hornets’ Dwight Howard are the only two active players on that list.

Since early in the season, Al Horford has been critical to Boston's success.

That economy of impact -- scoring when needed, as part of an overall game -- illustrates the value Horford has brought since his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2007-08. But it never has been more apparent than in the 146 games, regular and postseason, he has played for the Celtics since signing a four-year, $113 million free-agent deal with them in July 2016.

That seemed awfully pricey for a guy who had averaged more than 18 points or 10 rebounds once each in his first nine seasons. But Boston improved from 48 victories and a first-round exit in 2015-16 to 53 and the Eastern Conference finals last season. This time, the Celtics are on pace to win 57, with playoff ambitions to match or top 2017’s.

At 12.8 points per game, Horford (who has scored 20 or more 10 times this season) only ranks fourth among Celtics scorers, averaging barely half of Kyrie Irving’s 24.8 ppg. But it was that way a year ago, too, with Isaiah Thomas at 28.9 ppg and Horford at 14.0 ppg.

In fact, one can make the case that Horford prefers it so, allowing him to contribute in a multitude of ways while still commanding respect from opposing defenses -- and obviously, All-Star reserve votes from the conference’s coaches. His net rating is 7.1, compared to Irving’s 4.9.