Joe Mazzulla took the blame for the late-game miscues, saying he put his players in poor position but it was evident that Horford’s absence proved costly in that spot since Kornet has not played in crunch time for much of the season.

Going into the season, Luke Kornet’s role within the Boston Celtics’ rotation was unclear. However, more than halfway into the season, Kornet has become a mainstay in the Celtics’ rotation and has proven to be an integral part of Boston’s success.

Horford (toe) is listed as probable for Friday's game versus the Pelicans, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports. Horford is expected to return to action Friday after missing Boston's previous two outings due to a left toe sprain.

Luke Kornet was inserted into the starting lineup at the last minute against the Rockets as he made the most of his minutes.

BOSTON – Luke Kornet’s stay-ready mindset was put to the test Monday night. He learned just minutes before tip-off that he’d be filling in for an injured Al Horford in Boston’s starting ...

The big man will receive his sixth start of the season with Al Horford coming off the bench Monday. Kornet has averaged 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 28.4 minutes per game over his five appearances in the starting lineup thus far.

Boston nearly pulled off a great win, but fell for the seventh time this season after leading by at least 10 points.

Payton Pritchard and Al Horford are in line to handle expanded ... If the veteran big man is sidelined Monday, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta are candidates for a bump in minutes.

And unfortunately for Celtics backup center Luke Kornet, it came at his expense. Grimes posterized Kornet with a thunderous one-handed slam in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter.

As the trade deadline approaches, here are five thoughts on where the Celtics are at and where they might improve.

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The Celtics played without Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Al Horford, giving an opportunity for players deeper on Boston’s bench to shore up the rotation. Despite plenty of mixing and matching by Mazzulla against an elite opponent, the results were largely underwhelming.