Clemons Drops Career High 41 in Maine Celtics Victory
Published on March 6, 2022 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, ME - The Maine Celtics, presented by Unum, snapped a five-game losing streak as they topped Raptors 905, 125-118, behind a 41-point performance from Chris Clemons.
Clemons added five rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics. Deonte Burton added 23 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brodric Thomas finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Isaiah Cousins tallied 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in his Maine Celtics debut. John Bohannon put up eight points to go with 15 rebounds and three assists.
Reggie Perry led Raptors 905 with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Champagnie totaled 20 points and seven rebounds. Aaron Best posted 16 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Ashton Hagans and Breein Tyree each scored 15 points, with Hagans adding six assists. Jodie Meeks dropped 12 points.
Raptors 905 collected the opening tip and Champagnie proceeded to bury a contested triple. Clemons dished to Ryan on the right wing for a three to put Maine on the board. Both teams got into the paint at will in the first quarter, with 30 combined points in the paint between the two teams. The Celtics led 17-16 at the first break, with Clemons adding two more after the timeout. Maine's switching defense caused issues for the 905 offense. Cousins scored his first Celtics points on a 1-for-2 free throw and Hagedorn notched his first Maine points on a deep three. The game was tied, 33-33 after one following technical free throws resulting from Raptors head coach Patrick Mutumbo's ejection.
Cousins nailed a three to get the second quarter started. The Hagans-Perry pick-and-roll worked wonders for the Raptors in the second, helping them knot it up at 40. Champagnie's long-ball put the 905 on top, 43-42 as the Raptors' aggressiveness on both ends began to swing the momentum. Aaron Best's long-two put them up 58-53 and they maintained a five-point lead, taking a 67-62 advantage into the locker room. Maine shot 23-47 (48.9 percent) from the floor, 4-16 (25 percent) from deep and 7-9 (77.8 percent) from the line in the half. 905 went 25-42 (59.5 percent) from the floor, 8-17 (47.1 percent) from deep and 5-7 (71.4 percent) from the line.
Thomas splashed home a three for Maine's first second-half points, as they used a 16-8 run at the start of the third to get ahead, 78-75. Both teams generated offense by carving into the lane and distributing to shooters and cutters, with Clemons doing just that to power the Celtics to an 82-75 lead, their largest of the night to that point. An 11-5 run for the 905 cut Maine's lead to two late in the quarter, but a 1-for-2 free throw and a buzzer-beating layup put the Celtics up 95-90 heading into the fourth.
Cousins provided versatile offense off the bench in his Maine debut, scoring at the rim, from beyond the arc and making plays for teammates. The Celtics lead was cut to 102-101 after a 7-2 solo run from Hagans, but they responded with a 9-1 run of their own to go ahead 111-103, capped off by a Ryan to Clemons connection in transition. In the final two minutes, the Raptors got within five, but failed to convert chances at the free throw line that would've tightened up the game. Maine was able to ice the game at the line, taking a much-needed victory. The Celtics finished 44-92 (47.8 percent) from the floor, 11-32 (34.4 percent) from distance and 16-24 (66.7 percent) from the stripe. Raptors 905 shot 40-79 (50.6 percent) from the floor, 10-28 (35.7 percent) from distance and 17-27 (63 percent) from the stripe.
The Maine Celtics welcome the Motor City Cruise to the Expo for back-to-back games on March 10 and 11 before traveling to Wisconsin to face the Herd on March 13.
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