Red Claws Hang on in Delaware
January 4, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
Newark, DE - January 4, 2017 - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, started hot and then held on, defeating the Delaware 87ers Wednesday night, 95-91. Maine made 17 three-pointers (17-40) in the game, including ten in the first quarter.
Jalen Jones led all scorers with 31 points on 10-18 shooting, including 6-10 from three-point range, as well as grabbing 9 rebounds. Abdel Nader added 25 points on 10-17 shooting, Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 18, and Jason Calliste added 12 points off the bench.
The Red Claws (13-7) started fast, jumping out to a 7-0 lead to start the game. Georges-Hunt then dropped in back-to-back three-pointers to give Maine the early 13-2 lead. The Claws made their first five shots of the game. Georges-Hunt drained another pair of three's to make it 28-12 Red Claws halfway through the quarter. The Red Claws went a whopping 10-16 from three-point range in the 1st quarter alone, leading by as many as 21 points. Delaware (10-9) closed on a 14-3 run, and Maine led 36-24 after one.
The Sevens would close on the deficit even more to start the 2nd quarter. Dionte Christmas' bucket made it a 42-35 game. Jones dropped in another three to get Maine's lead back out to 12. Jones hit all five of his three's in the first half, totaling 22 points. The Red Claws led 61-48 at halftime, shooting 49% (21-43) from the field and an astounding 56% (14-25) from downtown.
The Red Claws picked up right where they left off in the 3rd quarter, with Coron Williams dropping in a corner three - the Claws led 66-53. The 87ers weren't done - Christmas scored a trey of his own to make it a 73-67 game. David Laury III made it a four point game. Jones stopped the run with his 6th three of the game. Jason Calliste's three-point play gave Maine a 83-77 lead after three quarters.
Jones continued to put the pressure on in the 4th quarter, slamming home another bucket to make it 89-81 Red Claws. James Webb made a three-pointer to make it a three point game at 91-88. Georges-Hunt's bucket put Maine back up five with 2:23 to go. Christmas' three made it 93-91, but Nader answered with a huge 15-footer. With the four-point lead, Delaware ran out of time, missing the final two attempts of the game.
After scoring 61 points in the first half, Maine scored just 34 in the second, out-scoring the Sevens 34-33 in the second half. Delaware out-scored the Red Claws 14-12 in the 4th quarter. Maine shot 46% (35-76) from the floor, 43% (17-40) from three-point range and 8-12 from the free throw line. Delaware shot 37% (34-93) from the field, only 18% (6-33) from downtown, and 17-20 from the charity stripe.
The Red Claws return to action Friday afternoon at Long Island. Maine returns home Sunday for a 1 p.m. matinee against Fort Wayne. Limited tickets are on sale now by calling 207-210-6655 or visiting MaineRedClaws.com.
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