Boston nearly pulled off a great win, but fell for the seventh time this season after leading by at least 10 points.
This was a terrific showing for Kornet as he picked up the start with Derrick White (leg) unavailable. Al Horford (toe) was expected to play, but was ultimately a late scratch that went unreported by Boston. Kornet has fared well as a fill-in starter this season, averaging 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.3 blocks in six games.
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.
When Boston needed a stop, the calls the Celtics coach made proved disastrous, and afterward took responsibility for the loss: "I didn't help them close it at the end."
Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun (28) goes up for a shot as Boston Celtics' Derrick White (9) and Luke Kornet defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) AP
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 Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has opted to shoulder the blame for the decisive final two plays in his team's latest loss, a 114-112 defeat at the hands of the rising young Houston Rockets. Per Jay King of The Athletic,
I t wasn’t hard to come up with a list of reasons for why Amen Thompson could bust in the NBA when he entered the 2023 draft. Amen and his twin brother Ausar took a novel path t
The Boston Celtics are by no means in any trouble. They lost Monday night at home to the ascending Houston Rockets, and yes, the Celtics are now more than five games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference;
Amen Thompson produced a career-high 33 points against Boston, and pushes Houston further up the standings, with 31-14 in second place.
The Boston Celtics have now blown a fourth-quarter lead nine times this season. Nine times in 47 games. They blew nine games in the fourth quarter all of last season. Monday night was the seventh time this season the Celtics have lost a game they led by 10 points.