Maine Celtics Erase 16-Point Deficit in Showcase Win
G League Maine Celtics

Maine Celtics Erase 16-Point Deficit in Showcase Win

Published on December 21, 2025 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - The Maine Celtics rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Austin Spurs 123-114 and leave the NBA G League Winter Showcase Tournament with a 1-1 record.

With all games now counting towards the Regular Season, Maine improves to 1-1 and Austin falls to 0-2. The Spurs were the #2 seed at the Winter Showcase Tournament after concluding the Tip-Off Tournament with a 12-2 record. Maine was the #7 seed after going 9-5.

It was the Celtics' Two-Way players who led the way on Sunday, combining for 74 points. For the second straight game, Ron Harper Jr. led Maine in scoring with 29 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Max Shulga scored a new career-high 27 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Amari Williams packed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocks as all five Celtics starters scored in double figures. Trailing by 16 in the third quarter, Maine turned to their defense, and 25 forced turnovers led to 36 Celtics points in the important victory. As a team, Maine shot 40.4% (40-99) from the floor and 30% (12-40) from beyond the arc. The Celtics cashed in from the free throw line, making 19-21 (90.5%) of their free throws.

Austin's David Jones Garcia came off the bench to lead all scorers with 38 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Mangas added 20 points on 8-10 shooting and Harrison Ingram provided 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Led by Jones Garcia, Austin's bench outscored Maine 58-22 on Sunday. The Spurs shot 48.8% (48-82) and 35.7% (10-28) from distance.

It was Max Shulga who had the hot hand early for Maine. Shulga buried a three with 8:36 left in the first quarter to give Maine a 13-8 lead. Shulga led Maine with 10 points in the quarter. Both teams went back and forth, and a tough basket around the cup for Austin's David Jones Garcia put the Spurs in front, 18-17 with 6:25 remaining. After making eight trees on Friday, Jalen Bridges knocked down another triple with 2:25 left in the quarter to tie the game at 30. Led by 12 points from Kyle Mangas, Austin finished the quarter on a 8-2 run to lead Maine 38-32 after a high scoring first quarter.

The Spurs extended their lead in the second quarter. Trey McGowens connected with Jones Garcia on the alley-oop to give Austin a 46-38 lead. On the next trip down, Austin's Harrison Ingram made a three to give the Spurs an 11-point lead with 8:00 left in the first half. Ron Harper Jr. started to heat up, and the G league's leading scorer drilled back-to-back three pointers to pull Maine back within five with 6:54 to go. With 3:10 left in the second, Jones Garcia soared for the slam in transition to give Austin their largest lead of the game, 63-50. Harper rolled his fourth triple of the half in with 25.9 seconds remaining as Maine trailed the Spurs 68-59 at the break. Jones Garcia led all scorers with 22 first half points as the Spurs shot 53.3% (24-45) from the floor and 41.2% (7-17) from three. Harper led Maine with 14 first half points as the Celtics struggled to shoot as team, connecting on just 38.6% (22-57) of their shots.

Led by Jones Garcia, Austin extended their lead to 16 points with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter. Jones Garcia scored 35 points on 13-17 shooting through the first three quarters. Stef Todorovic provided energy off the bench for Maine, scoring five quick points to cut the deficit down to 11 at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter. After forcing a shot clock violation, Hason Ward rattled in a layup to pull Maine with eight with 5:25 to go in the third. Harper battled through two Spurs defenders and absorbed the contact for a tough basket to pull Maine within six, 89-83 with 3:18 left. Maine continued to chip into that Spurs lead, and with 11.1 seconds left, Amari Williams scored on an offensive putback to pull the Celtics within five, 95-90 at the end of the third quarter.

Shulga scored six points in the first 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, including a three-point play off a pass from Williams to give Maine their first lead of the second half, 96-95. Shulga accounted for nine of Maine's first 11 points, and a free throw worth three by the Two-Way guard increased Maine's lead to four at the 10:17 mark. Shulga then dished to Williams for two at the rim as Maine used a 15-3 run to start the fourth to claim a 104-98 lead, their largest of the game to that point. A pair of free throws by the Spurs tied the game at 108 with 5:58 left in the game. Bridges broke the tie with his third triple of the game to regain the lead for the Celtics. Both teams went more than three minutes without a made field goal until Harper connected with a soaring Kendall Brown on the lob to deliver a 115-108 lead for Maine with 2:49 remaining. On the next possession, Shulga delivered a dagger three to extend the lead to 10, their largest lead of the game to that point. With 1:43 remaining, McGowens connected on two free throws to score the first Spurs points since the 5:57 mark of the fourth quarter. a lob to Ward put the exclamation point on the comeback win, as Maine outscored Austin 33-19 in the fourth quarter to beat the Spurs 123-114.

Maine returns to action on Dec. 27 and 29 on the road at Raptors 905. The Celtics are back at the Portland Expo on Dec. 31 where they will host Noblesville.

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