Cruise Race Past Maine Celtics
G League Maine Celtics

Cruise Race Past Maine Celtics

Published on February 12, 2026 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


PORTLAND, Maine. - Motor City shot 72.5% from the floor in the second half and overcame a 15-point deficit Thursday night to top Maine 123-108. The Cruise sweep the two-game series in the Expo and improve to 12-10 in the regular season. Maine drops to 11-12 with the loss and has lost four straight and seven of its last 10.

All five Maine starters finished in double figures in the loss. John Tonje led the way with a game-high 29 points, including 18 in the second half. Max Shulga had 19 points behind 4-5 shooting from three. Jalen Bridges with 16, Hason Ward 14 and Aaron Scott 10 rounded out the C's starting five. The Celtics shot 46% (40-87) from the field and 41% (16-39) from three in the defeat.

Isaac Jones scored a team-high 26 points, 19 in the second half on 7-9 shooting, to lead Motor City in the win. Wendell Moore Jr. scored 24 for the Cruise and Brice Williams had 20 while Drew Peterson poured in 17. Matthew Moncrieffe posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in the victory. Motor City shot 59% (49-83) overall in the win and 72.5% (29-40) in the second half. From beyond the arc, the Cruise finished 33.3% (10-30), going 5-11 from three after halftime.

Hason Ward got Maine off to a hot start. He scored the first two Celtics buckets, assisted on the next two on threes from Tonje and Scott, then his dunk with 7:46 to go in the first quarter put the C's on top 12-4. Ward finished the first quarter with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a block. Maine continued to extend the lead from there. A Shulga three lifted the Celtics on top by 10 before a Hank Morgan layup made it 19-7, forcing Motor City's second timeout with 6:18 to go in the first. With Maine up 28-15, the Cruise closed the quarter scoring the final five points of the session to trim the deficit to 28-20 at the end of one.

The Celtics shot 4-9 from three in the first quarter and picked up right where they left off in the second. Maine made three of its first four triples of the quarter, and a Shulga three with 9:04 to go in the half put the C's on top 41-28. Maine finished the first half 40.9% (9-22) from distance. After a Shulga free throw extended the lead to a Maine game-high 15 points, eight straight Motor City points cut the edge to 43-36 with 5:55 left in the second. That run grew to 16-3, and with 3:22 to go in the first half, a Peterson basket cut the Cruise deficit down to two at 46-44. A Peterson three-point play tied the game at 49-49 with 1:48 to go in the quarter.

Overall, Motor City closed the half outscoring Maine 23-10, but a Tonje basket broke a 51-51 tie to put Maine on top 53-51 at the half. Shulga and Tonje paced the Celtics with 11 first-half points while Ward chipped in 10 to go with five rebounds. As a team, the C's shot 46.3% (19-41) from the floor in the half. Peterson scored a game-high 13 points in the first half; Moore Jr. had 12 and Williams collected 10. Motor City shot 46.5% (20-43) from the field in the half and 26.3% (5-19) from beyond the arc.

Four straight points by Jones to begin the second half for Motor City gave the Cruise their first lead of the night at 55-53 with 10:41 to go in the third. Motor City extended the lead to five, 65-60, before a pair of Bridges threes around a Moore basket trimmed the Cruise advantage to 67-66 with 7:23 left in the quarter. But behind, 68% (15-22) shooting in the quarter, Motor City went on a 21-11 burst to take an 11-point lead lead before a Hank Morgan buzzer-beater to end the period made it 88-79 after three.

Motor City went back up by ten on a Jaden Akins three to begin the fourth. A pair of threes from Shulga and Bridges with a Cruise bucket in between brought the C's back within six, 93-87, with 9:59 to play. But that was the closest it would be the rest of the way. The Cruise used a 16-5 run to open the lead to 17 at 109-92 with 5:16 left and never looked back. Motor City extended the advantage to a game-high 22 at 123-101 on a

Moncrieffe bucket with 1:07 to play, and despite a 7-0 Maine run to end it, came away with the 123-108 win.

The Celtics hit the All-Star Break before returning to action for a four-game road trip beginning in Delaware next Thursday, February 19. Maine returns to Expo on Friday, February 27, for the first of a two-game set with the Windy City Bulls at 7 p.m.

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