G League Maine Celtics

Maine Celtics Return from Break with 6th Straight Win

Published on February 24, 2023 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


GREENSBORO, NC - The Maine Celtics returned from an 11-day All-Star Break without missing a beat, cruising to a 120-106 victory over the Greensboro Swarm, their sixth straight win.

Scottie Lindsey led Maine (14-7), tying a career high with 32 points on 10-18 shooting and six made three-pointers, adding 10 rebounds. Luka Šamanić posted 31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high four steals for his 18th double-double of the season. Tony Snell posted 16 points and a G League-best 10 rebounds. Denzel Valentine and Two-Way guard JD Davison each turned in 10 points and eight assists.

Charlotte assignee James Bouknight's 24 points were a high for Greensboro (7-14). Jalen Crutcher put up 16 points and nine rebounds and Charlotte assignee Kai Jones scored 16 points on 7-7 shooting. Xavier Sneed had 14 points and Two-Way guard Bryce McGowens tallied 13 points. Kobi Simmons added 10 points and six rebounds.

Bouknight and Snell traded threes and then Jones and Šamanić traded dunks to open the scoring. Jones and McGowens led a potent Greensboro offense early, helping them out to a 14-7 lead by the first break. It wasn't long before Maine's offense took charge, though; Smith hit a corner three, Valentine sank a pull-up and Lindsey buried a left-wing triple to give the Celtics the lead with a 9-0 run out of the timeout. Lindsey dropped in a quick five off the bench and Davison went coast-to-coast for the floater in the final minutes of the first as Maine led 30-25 after one.

Lindsey converted a four-point play as the pace quickly ramped up at the outset of the second. Greensboro pulled off a couple big dunks to get back within one possession, 36-34 by the 9:24 mark. The Celtics were a bit loose with the ball all night long, reaching 10 team turnovers just after the halfway point of the quarter, but 50 percent shooting and six threes as a team helped them outscore the Swarm. Lindsey tapped in Davison's miss to give himself 20 points and the Celtics a 53-44 lead late in the half, and he'd reach 23 points before the Celtics headed into the locker room up 59-49. Lindsey scored 12 points in the second quarter.

Maine forced a couple turnovers, generating a pair of easy layups to start the third. The Celtics quickly stretched the lead to 16 points, 67-51 before the Swarm quelled the run with Bouknight's triple. Greensboro struggled to get stops and couldn't match Maine's shooting efficiency, sitting at 35.9 percent as a team during the third. Lindsey kept the pressure on, adding another seven points in the third to give himself his second 30-point performance of the season. Davison dropped a dime to Reggie Kissoonlal II cutting from the dunker spot with 5.4 seconds left to give Maine a 95-78 lead after three.

A 6-2 run to open the fourth for Greensboro got them within 13, 97-84. Snell and Valentine each hit a layup in response to widen the gap again, this time for good. The Swarm would only get as close as the 14-point final deficit for the remainder of the evening while the Celtics comfortably collected their sixth-straight victory.

The Celtics and Swarm are back in action tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM EST in Greensboro. Maine will then head out to Los Angeles to face the South Bay Lakers and Ontario Clippers in early March.

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