The 76ers faced the Timberwolves on Friday night in Iowa, so all of their top rotation players were out. The Celtics host the Raptors on Sunday and will likely take a similar approach in that game. But against Philadelphia, the regular rotation players put on their usual show.

Observations from the game:

▪ Al Horford was out for the third straight preseason game. Coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized that the 38-year-old big man is fully healthy and the team is phasing him in gradually. But one wonders if the Celtics will be as cautious with Horford early in the season and turn to Luke Kornet to start at center while Kristaps Porzingis is out.

For now, Kornet continues to show that he would be a reliable option for Boston. In the first quarter the big man was simply dominant. He converted a putback before throwing down consecutive alley-oops from Tatum and Brown. He then scored again and put back his own miss when he was fouled. Kornet had 11 points in the first five minutes and went into halftime with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

“I’ve been able to play with a lot of these guys for a number of years,” Kornet said. “We had a lot of advantages on the pitch today, so it was a little easier than we probably expected. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s a pretty good solid point or starting point.

Of course, the Celtics will never expect or need Kornet to score as efficiently, but Mazzulla likes his familiarity and comfort level in the Celtics’ system. He is almost always exactly where he needs to be, on both ends of the court.

“He worked really hard this summer and I’ve definitely seen him improve,” Mazzulla said. “Only his screen reads, his distance recognition. He’s one of our best defenders because of his ability to immediately communicate the different things we’re doing on every possession and he does a great job of reading every possession and I think he’s really improved offensively so far just with his screening . angles and its distance recognition. And he keeps getting better and better.”

▪ Mazzulla seemed focused on giving his available regulars some longer runs. Tatum, Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White all played the entire first quarter, which almost never happens during the regular season.

▪ Former Celtics big man Guerschon Yabusele started at center for the 76ers and had 8 points and 3 rebounds. The 76ers signed Yabusele in August after his breakout performance for France at the Summer Olympics. Yabusele was selected by Boston with the 16th pick of the 2016 draft, but has played overseas since 2019.

“It’s been five years and when summer came, of course I expected to get a phone call, but it made me work harder, keep pushing and never give up,” Yabusele said. “And every time I came back to my team, I thought, ‘I have to do more.’ So it was a long process, but I think it was very necessary. I’m a different player now, I understand things better and I’ll keep going.”

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said Yabusele’s ability to step beyond the three-point line should make room for the team’s dynamic stars, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He drilled a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter.

Yabusele provided the highlight of the summer when he thundered down the court and threw down a one-handed dunk over LeBron James in the gold medal game at the Olympics. He seemed to have a similar moment in mind during a first-quarter drive on Saturday, but the attempt was batted away by Sam Hauser.

“We’re still in the early stages with him and we’re trying to figure out exactly where we need him most,” Nurse said.

▪ Veteran Lonnie Walker signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics last month that will most likely result in him starting this season in Maine, but he remains focused on earning the team’s final roster spot.

He earned his first preseason stint with the second team, scoring 9 points and 7 assists in 25 minutes.

“I made good reads, did well defensively and I think I need to pick that up and rebound,” Walker said. “As far as what I can offer to the team, it’s just different ways to influence the win. It’s not just about scoring. I think everyone knows I can score. Whatever shot we can get by executing against the defense is the most important thing.”

Hauser and Payton Pritchard remained combustible from beyond the arc. Hauser was 5 for 6 and is 10 for 17 this preseason, while Pritchard went 3 for 7 and 11 for 22. Most of their three-pointers have come with the other on the floor, forcing opposing defenses to make some tough choices .

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.