G League Maine Celtics

Maine Celtics Reach 6-0 with Win in Grand Rapids

January 8, 2023 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Maine Celtics took control with a 33-19 run spanning the third and fourth quarters as they beat the Grand Rapids Gold, 121-106 to claim their six-straight victory to open the regular season.

Both members of the Maine (6-0) frontcourt logged a double-double, with Luka Šamanić led posting 21 points and 10 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season and Two-Way big Mfiondu Kabengele tallying 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Denzel Valentine added a double-double of his own with 15 points, 15 boards, seven assists and three steals. Marial Shayok put up 18 points and Kamar Baldwin had 15 and six assists. Two-Way rookie JD Davison turned in 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Marvin Smith Jr. contributed 14 and eight rebounds.

Jared Butler led Grand Rapids (2-4) with 19 points and Two-Way forward Jack White followed up with 18 and nine boards. Adonis Arms and Chasson Randle both had 13 points, with Randle adding seven assists. Grant Golden put up 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Norris Cole, Trevon Duval and Bryce Willis all scored 11 points.

Šamanić layed it in for the first bucket of the game and Kabengele hit a three on the next trip to give Maine a quick 5-0 lead prior to Randle's floater getting Grand Rapids on the board. Maine got ahead 10-2 by the first timeout and were able to stretch the lead to as much as 20 points before the Gold woke up and shot themselves back into the game with some timely triples from Cole, Duval and Willis. After one, the Celtics held a 35-21 advantage.

Maine briefly stretched the lead out again to start the second as they punished Grand Rapids on the glass, outrebounding them 22-10 early in the quarter. Butler canned a pair of threes that made it a 10-point game, 37-27, and that's when the Gold flipped the script. A 9-2 run got them within three, 43-40, and soon after they tied the game at 49 on a hook shot from Golden. The Celtics were able to stop the bleeding with an and-one from Šamanić, who scored 11 first-half points along with Shayok. A 38-17 run from Grand Rapids spanning over 13 minutes shrunk Maine's lead from 20 points to just one, 54-53 by halftime.

A 5-0 run to open the third gave Grand Rapids their first lead of the night, though Kabengele's 1-for-2 and a corner trey from Šamanić gave it right back to Maine. Baldwin and Shayok each nailed a three of their own during a strong offensive stretch for the Celtics, rebuilding their lead to two possessions. Arms and Duval each converted a 1-for-2 to put the Gold ahead again, but a 9-0 run featuring seven straight points from Šamanić and a driving layup from Davison put the Celtics on top, 88-80. Five straight points from Valentine closed out a strong end to the third for Maine, who led 92-85 heading into the final frame.

It didn't take long for the Celtics to put it away in the fourth, as they pushed the lead into double digits with nine-and-a-half minutes to play. As always, Valentine came through in the clutch; after starting just 2-11 from the field, he made three of his last four attempts and tallied 10 points in a five-minute stretch across the late third and early fourth. Maine led 109-94 with 4:09 to go and the Celtics coasted to victory from there, earning a 121-106 win.

The Maine Celtics will wrap up a two-game set with the Gold on Jan. 10 before returning home to face Delaware on Jan. 12 and Jan. 14 and the Expo.

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