YABUSELE, RED CLAWS ROLL PAST NOAH, KNICKS
November 30, 2017 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
White Plains, NY - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, relied on the Boston Celtics to propel them to a 111-100 win over the Westchester Knicks today.
It was a game that matched up Celtics rookie Guerschon Yabusele, on assignment from Boston, with NBA Veteran Joakim Noah, on assignment from New York. Yabusele finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-20 shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes of play, while Noah finished with 9 points, 5 boards and 4 assists in 23 minutes.
Boston Celtics Two-Way Player Kadeem Allen contributed 26 points on 11-16 shooting, while fellow Two-Way Player Jabari Bird added 12. Jon Holmes, who returned to Maine (6-3) after playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying, finished with 12 points on 4-8 shooting. Isaiah Hicks led Westchester (7-4) with 20 points.
Yabusele opened the scoring by stepping out and burying a three-pointer from the wing. The Dancing Bear kept feeling it from beyond the arc, knocking in another triple as Maine took a 12-11 lead early. Allen's steal and lay-in gave the Red Claws a three point lead. The Knicks went on a run - Xavier Rathan-Mays' three-point play capped a 8-0 run and gave Westchester a 19-14 lead. In a back and forth period, Allen scored 12 points in the 1st quarter, and Maine held a 22-21 lead.
Noah got it going in the 2nd quarter, scoring five straight points for the Knicks. Davis continued his strong play off the bench, sparking the offense to a 35-30 lead. Davis' three-point play followed by a lay-in, then his fast break assist to L.J. Peak helped extend Maine's lead to 9 points. Bird's steal and slam made it a 45-38 lead. Nigel Hayes and the Knicks started to hit from the outside, cutting the lead to three. When the dust settled, the game was tied at 51 at the break. The Red Claws shot 43% (21-49) from the field, but just 5-21 from beyond the arc. Westchester shot 50% (20-40) from the floor in the first half.
Yabusele opened the 2nd half with a corner three-pointer. Jon Holmes followed that up with a trey of his own. The Knicks rallied - Isaiah Hicks' lay-in gave Westchester a 60-59 lead. Devin Williams' three-point play gave the Red Claws the lead back at 69-68. Daniel Dixon and the Red Claws bench got the lead back - Maine extended to a 78-71 lead. Davis' high lay-up off the glass maintained the 7 point lead. Yabusele threw down an emphatic put-back slam, but Westchester again finished the period strong, closing it to 83-81 after three.
In the 4th, Yabusele and Allen stretched the Red Claws lead back out to seven at 92-85. Jon Holmes buried a triple to put the Red Claws up 10 with about 7:00 to go. Yabusele and Bird slammed home back-to-back buckets to put the Claws up 104-90. A three from Allen put the game out of reach for good. The Red Claws shot 46.9% (45-96) from the field, and just 26.2% (11-42) from downtown. Maine went 10-13 from the free throw line. Westchester shot 48.1% (37-77) from the floor, 38.7% (12-31) from three, and 14-19 from the charity stripe.
The Red Claws return to action this Friday and Saturday at the Portland Expo, with home games against Raptors 905 and Rio Grande Valley. Both games are slated to start at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now by calling 207-210-6655 or visiting MaineRedClaws.com.
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