Clemons' Second Straight Triple-Double Carries Maine
February 12, 2022 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, ME - The Maine Celtics, presented by Unum, collected the win as they topped the Greensboro Swarm, 105-99 with the help of Chris Clemons' second-straight triple-double.
Clemons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the 18th triple-double in Maine Celtics franchise history. Deonte Burton scored a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Juwan Morgan had 21 points, four rebounds and two blocks. John Bohannon posted 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Deng Adel and Eric Demers each put up 11 points, with Adel adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Arnoldas Kulboka led Greensboro with 23 points and seven rebounds on 6-12 from downtown. Jalen Crutcher turned in 22 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. D.J. Carton tallied 14 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Cameron McGriff had 10 points.
Adel drew a foul under the rim on the first possession and hit the ensuing free throw to open the scoring. Kulboka hit two threes, with Crutcher and LiAngelo Ball each hitting one to get the Swarm out to an early 15-9 lead behind five made threes as a team. A burst of offense was provided by Burton's shot creation, getting to the rim and hitting from distance. Clemons' three capped off a 13-5 run that gave Maine a 22-20 lead. Morgan made an instant impact off the bench, scoring five points in barely two minutes. The Swarm took a 35-34 lead into the second frame.
Wayne Blackshear opened the second with his first bucket this season as a Celtic. Bohannon slipped two pick-and-roll actions for open dunks, sparking the Portland crowd. Burton was fouled on a jumper and hit the free throw to give the Celtics a 41-40 lead but Crutcher countered with a deep three. The game got a bit physical during the quarter as both teams tried to create offense in the lane, and the pick-and-roll game continued to work for Maine. The Swarm took a 61-55 lead into the locker room. Maine shot 22-49 (44.9 percent) from the field, 8-23 (34.8 percent) from deep and 2-3 (66 percent) at the stripe in the first half. Greensboro shot 21-41 (51.2 percent) from the field, 12-16 (46.2 percent) from deep and 4-5 (80 percent) at the stripe.
The Celtics took the lead back early in the third thanks to a raise in defensive intensity. Maine's on-ball switching and physicality on that end helped them capitalize on Swarm turnovers. Scottie Lewis' buzzer-beating three from the halfcourt logo made it 80-75 in favor of the Celtics heading into the fourth.
It was a steady start to the final quarter, with the Celtics maintaining their lead until the Swarm brought it within two, 88-86. Burton's driving to the basket was a reliable fall-back option all night for Maine's offense and he kept it up in crunch time. Turnovers prevented the Celtics from distancing themselves, and Crutcher's three made it a one-point game in the middle of the fourth before Burton countered with a couple of transition layups to make it 100-95. The Swarm came up empty in the final minutes, Clemons notched his second-consecutive triple-double and Morgan's free throws iced it for Maine with 25 seconds left. The Celtics finished 43-91 (47.3 percent) from the field, 12-39 (30.8 percent) from downtown and 6-8 (75 percent) at the line. The Swarm finished 37-86 (43 percent) from the field, 17-49 (34.7 percent) from downtown and 5-7 (71.4 percent) at the line.
The Maine Celtics will play at the Expo on Feb. 17 versus the College Park Skyhawks before embarking on a five-game road trip starting in Grand Rapids on Feb. 24.
NBA G League Stories from February 12, 2022
- Herd Bounces Back with Win over Ignite - Wisconsin Herd
- South Bay Takes Revenge on Santa Cruz, Dominate in Home Victory - South Bay Lakers
- Smart Scores 34, Skyforce Defeat Stars - Salt Lake City Stars
- Scoring Barrage Lifts Vipers Past Squadron - Birmingham Squadron
- Skyforce Wins Fourth-Straight Home Game in 119-107 Victory over Stars - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Blue Coats Comeback Rally Falls Short against Raptors 905 - Delaware Blue Coats
- Vipers Extend Winning Streak to 5-0 - Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Santa Cruz Suffers Tough Loss to South Bay, 127-89 - Santa Cruz Warriors
- Clemons' Second Straight Triple-Double Carries Maine - Greensboro Swarm
- Clemons' Second Straight Triple-Double Carries Maine - Maine Celtics
- Jaden Springer, Blue Coats, Look to Continue Winning Streak vs. Raptors 905 - Delaware Blue Coats
- Chris Silva Rejoins Iowa Wolves; Wolves Waive Chris Walker - Iowa Wolves
- Boston Celtics Sign Sam Hauser - Maine Celtics
- Clippers Sweep Texas Two-Step - Texas Legends
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
