BOSTON – Luke Kornet has always been the ultimate sideline spirit-lifter, but on Friday night he had a chance to lift his team up in a new way.

Earning his first start since May 16, 2021, Boston’s bench-mob king reigned supreme over the Toronto Raptors, helping to deliver a 120-118 win while putting forth his best effort in a Celtic uniform.

Kornet was one of several Celtics who were called upon to step into a more prominent role to help fill the voids of Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain management), Kristaps Porzingis (left calf injury management), and Al Horford (rest), and also provide fresh legs after a hard-fought overtime win over Detroit the night before.

The veteran backup center did exactly that by logging 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in over 33 minutes of action. It was his highest-scoring effort since Feb. 9, 2020, when he logged a career-high 25 points as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

Although he plays in almost every game and has been reliable in his limited minutes, Kornet rarely gets a chance to be featured in a such a distinguished offensive role. And his teammates couldn’t have been happier for his breakout game after all the selfless energy he’s given them over the years.

“Luke is the ultimate teammate,” said Jaylen Brown, who also had a stellar stat line of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. “He’s just a great locker room guy, gets along with everybody. He’s funny, so he kind of just uplifts everybody, even in moments where we don’t want to laugh. And then on the court, he’s just old reliable, is always in the right spot, does his job, screens, rolls, plays hard, gets those offensive rebounds, and steps up in games like today. And he had a great game today.”

Kornet was especially great in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting. That gave him 13 points by halftime, which surpassed his previous season-high for a full game by one point.

He also earned a critical role in crunch time, playing all but 14 seconds of the fourth quarter.

Kornet was thrilled with how he played. Though, in typical Kornet fashion, he directed much of the credit toward his teammates and considered his individual stat line as a shared stat line.

“When days like this come, you’re grateful that they’re able to happen,” he said. “But you’re also like, if it’s not for Derrick (White) and JB and Jrue (Holiday) and Sam Hauser) and Payton (Pritchard)  and all those guys, like, they’re helping me out. And I’m trying to do my job to help them out and it just doesn’t really matter who’s night it kind of is where it shows up for them in terms of points and box score-type stuff. As long as we’re all growing in the same direction at the end of the day.”

Joe Mazzulla echoed the latter portion of that sentiment, noting how Friday’s games was an excellent chance for many role players to develop. He called out Oshae Brissett, Neemias Queta, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, and Pritchard – each for stepping up in their own way to help fill the voids of their resting star teammates.

Mazzulla stated that he has “1,000 percent faith” in his roster from top to bottom, and games like this solidify that trust.

“I said before the game to the locker room, ‘This is another opportunity,’” Mazzulla relayed to the media. “I don’t care who we’re playing against, or what the starting lineup is, or what the bench is. I’ve got complete trust and confidence in the character of our locker room because of who they are. And I think we can win any game, no matter what.

“Luke’s one of those guys. He’s a professional, shows up to work every day, plays his role, and it was awesome to watch him play at the level that he did.