Big Second Half Leads Maine Celtics to Win
Published on January 31, 2026 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, Maine. - The Celtics outscored the Knicks 35-18 in the third quarter, erasing a nine-point second half deficit on their way to a 108-98 win over Westchester Saturday afternoon.
Maine improves to 10-7 in the regular season with the victory and to 2-2 on the current five-game homestand. The loss is the third straight for the Knicks, who fall to 5-12.
All five Celtics starters scored in double figures in the win. Tosan Evbuomwan led the way with a game-high 22 points. In his return to Maine, Amari Williams posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Kendall Brown scored 18 on 8-12 shooting from the field, while Max Shulga and Jalen Bridges both posted 1,0 and Hason Ward scored 12 off the bench. As a team, the Celtics shot 48.3% (42-87) from the field, including shooting 62.8% (27-43) in the second half and 29% (9-31) from three.
Paul Zilinskas led Westchester with 18 points in better than 45 minutes on the floor. Adama Bal scored 17 off the bench for the Knicks in the losing effort, as did Toby Okani. Dink Pate with 16, Trey Jemison III 14 and Nick Jourdain 12 all also finished in double figures. Westchester shot 43.5% (37-85) from the field and 32.6% (14-43) from three, but shot just 24.2% (8-33) from distance over the final three quarters after beginning the day 6-10.
Westchester began the afternoon 8-9 from the floor and 3-3 from beyond the arc. With 7:54 to go in the first, an Okani layup lifted the Knicks on top 19-9. But Maine had a response. A Pedro Bradshaw free throw with 5:00 to go in the quarter capped off an 11-0 run and lifted the Celtics back in front 20-19. Bal then got it going. His three threes factored in to an 11-4 Westchester spurt to end the quarter with the Knicks on top 30-24.
The Knicks opened up a nine-point lead once again to begin the second. Seven straight Maine points, headlined by a Hayden Gray basket and an Evbuomwan three from a Gray assist bright the C's back within two at 38-36 with 8:19 to go in the first half. A Kameron Warrens basket with 5:20 to go in the half cut the deficit to one at 45-44, but the Knicks scored the final six points of the half and took a 51-44 lead into the break. Bal led all scorers with 12 first half points on 3-4 shooting from three. Zilinskas also chipped in 10. Westchester shot 43.9% (18-41) from the floor in the first half and despite shooting 6-10 from three in the first shot 1-9 in the second, to finish the half at 36.8% (7-19) from beyond the arc. Brown and Williams paced Maine with eight points apiece in the first half. The Celtics shot 34.1% (15-44) from the field and 4-16 (25%) from three.
Trey Jemison III scored the first basket of the second half to up the Westchester lead to 53-44. The Celtics then came roaring back behind three straight threes from Bridges, Shulga and Evbuomwan to tie at 53-53 with 10:30 to go in the third quarter. With the score tied again at 58-58, a Bridges steal led to a Williams dunk to lift the C's on top for the first time since the first quarter at 60-58 with 8:40 to go in the third. Overall, behind 11-13 shooting from the field, the Celtics began the second half on a 28-9 run, and with 5:25 to go in quarter a Brown dunk extended the Maine lead to 72-60. In response, seven straight Knicks points brought Westchester back within five at 72-67 with 3:53 left in the third. But C's outscored the Knicks 7-2 the rest of the quarter and led 79-69 after three. Maine shot 63.6% (14-22) from the floor in the third and won the period 35-18.
A Jalen Bridges three to begin the fourth upped the Maine advantage to 82-69. Westchester responded with a 10-2 of their own, finished with a Bal three, to trim the Celtics lead to 84-79 with 9:21 to go. But that was the closest the Knicks would get. Three Ward baskets and two from Evbuomwan helped the C's to get back up 13 at 100-87 with 5:31 remaining. And Maine never looked back. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 64-47 in the second half en route to a 108-98 win. The Celtics and Knicks square off again tomorrow, Sunday, February 1, with a 1 p.m. tip-off in the Expo.
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