Maine Celtics Fall to Grand Rapids Despite Furious Comeback
December 31, 2023 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, ME - Trailing 103-89 with just over three minutes to play, the Maine Celtics ripped off a 19-7 run to pull within two in the closing seconds, but the Grand Rapids Gold escaped with a 112-108 victory.
JD Davison led Maine (2-1) with 19 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, his 10th double-double of the season. Jordan Walsh tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals while Jordan Schakel notched 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. DJ Steward turned in 15 points off the bench and Drew Peterson had 12 points and four rebounds. Rob Edwards scored 11 points.
Jay Huff scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished five assists for Grand Rapids (2-0). Collin Gillespie recorded 22 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. Hunter Tyson totaled 17 points, four rebounds and six assists and Jamorko Pickett logged 16 points and six boards. Andrew Funk finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
Maine drew first blood when Davison came off Kelley's screen and dropped in a floater for the game's first bucket. Huff put Grand Rapids on the board the next trip, and the Gold remained in front from that point forward. The Gillespie-Huff pick-and-roll duo worked wonders in the early-going for the Gold as Huff scored 13 of the team's first 15 points, aggressively hunting his shot out of ball screens and dribble handoffs. The game settled down once Huff checked out with Grand Rapids up nine, 21-12, with its defense holding Maine to just four field goals in the final five minutes of the first. Slater sank a deep three just ahead of the buzzer to make it 30-20 in favor of the Gold after one.
The Celtics ripped off an 11-2 run to open the second, getting to within one, 32-31 by the eight-minute mark. Grand Rapids fired back with a 5-2 run that widened the gap back to two possessions, and the sides traded runs for the remainder of the half. In an up-and-down quarter that saw just one team foul for each squad, a step-back jumper from Walsh with less than 10 seconds to go shrunk Grand Rapids' lead to 49-45 at halftime. Both teams shot 19-44 from the field and scored 22 points in the paint across the first two quarters.
Maine slowly whittled away at the deficit as the second half began, trailing 64-61 at the first timeout break of the third quarter. Davison, Peterson, and Walsh powered the Celtics offense all night long; no other player was scoring in double figures at the outset of the third besides them. Schakel collected an offensive board and spun back into the paint for a bucket, capping off a 10-0 run that put the Celtics in front, 69-64, for the first time since the opening minute of the game. The Gold finished the quarter strong however, getting back ahead to bring a 78-76 lead into the final frame.
Schakel nailed a triple on the first possession of the fourth to put Maine back in front by one, though it was short-lived after a 6-0 run put Grand Rapids up 84-79 with 10:28 to go. The Gold went 4-6 from deep in the first five minutes of the quarter, with Tyson and Gillespie surgically picking spots and finding open space in Maine's defense. An offensive rebound and a pair of clutch threes from Pickett were critical down the stretch for Grand Rapids, which led 100-87 with just over five minutes to play. The Celtics were inches from putting together a comeback for the ages - Maine outscored the Gold by 10 in the final 4:28, slimming the deficit to as little as two points with 10.1 seconds to go, but a slick back-cut from Gillespie gave Grand Rapids a four-point cushion with eight seconds remaining and sealed the win for the Gold.
The Celtics are off until Jan. 5, when they host the Capital City Go-Go at the Expo. Visit MaineCeltics.com to purchase tickets.
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