Andreas Rauh
Andreas Rauh
Published 22 April 2025

Horns Zoom Action - Boston Celtics

There are multiple ways to initiate Zoom Action. Here, the Boston Celtics use the popular Horns setup to trigger the action.

Setup
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  • 1 passes the ball to 5 and cuts to the strongside
  • 3 lifts to provide spacing
Zoom Action pt.1
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  • 2 sets a down screen for 4 in the corner
  • 5 simultaenously looks for a dribble handoff (DHO) with 4
Zoom Action pt.2
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  • 4 uses the screen and executes a DHO with 5

As Horford (#42 in black) catches the ball, Smart (#36 in black) runs to set a down screen for Tatum (#0 in black), initiating Zoom Action. With Horford beating his initial defender off the dribble, Porter Jr. (#32 in white) is forced to drop to help. Meanwhile, Smart’s screen on Wiggins (#22 in white) creates enough separation for Tatum to get an open three.


Notice how the Celtics initially disguised the Zoom Action within the Horns setup. Also, the Horns setup naturally allows the Zoom Action to flow in either direction. If Smart had caught the ball, the play would have instead triggered a Zoom Action for Brown (#7 in black) on the opposite side.

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