G League Maine Celtics

Maine Celtics Take Down One-Seed Lakers

Published on December 19, 2022 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


LAS VEGAS, NV - The eight-seed Maine Celtics upset the one-seed South Bay Lakers, 112-106 in the first round of the Showcase Cup Tournament at the AT&T 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase behind a clutch shooting display from Denzel Valentine.

Valentine led Maine (11-6) with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, shooting 5-8 from downtown. Two-Way player Mfiondu Kabengele put up 18 points and 10 rebounds with fellow Two-Way player JD Davison recording 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kamar Baldwin finished with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists. Trey Davis had 12 points off the bench and Luka Šamanić added 10 points. Marial Shayok posted 10 points and eight boards.

Bryce Hamilton led South Bay (12-5) with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. LJ Figueroa notched 18 points and five rebounds and Shaq Harrison tallied 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Devin Cannady logged 12 points and five rebounds. Javante McCoy also scored 12 points and Jay Huff registered 11 points and four rebounds.

The game started with a bang, as Kabengele stuffed home a putback dunk and Baldwin helped the Celtics out to an early 13-10 lead, scoring seven points in the opening minutes. Davison and Šamanić displayed their chemistry in the first quarter, connecting for a Šamanić corner three as he punished South Bay's defense with inside-out scoring to help Maine pull away. Davis stepped off the bench and kept Maine's hot streak going, making a couple of threes and finding Kabengele for another big dunk. Valentine's three in the closing seconds of the first quarter gave the Celtics a 20-point lead, 40-20 heading into the second.

The Lakers' offense picked up its efficiency in the second quarter and forced the Celtics into some tough looks from deep, but Maine's guards were able to create easy offense with penetration and ball movement. Valentine's distributing boosted the Celtics offense down the stretch in the first half as they held serve and maintained of just over a dozen points, shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 8-20 from long-range as a team on the way to a 64-50 lead at the break.

Figueroa's three and layup helped South Bay get within five points, 66-61 as the third quarter began. Baldwin and Valentine answered right back, each hitting a three to stretch Maine's lead back out beyond double digits. The Celtics defense showed a bit of fatigue as the game wore on and Kabengele battled fouled trouble, but they were able to fight through it and keep the game within their grasp. Cannady put the Lakers up with a three and they were able to stay ahead until the end of the quarter, taking an 86-85 lead into the target score period.

The Winter Showcase will feature a target score ending rather than a traditional 12-minute fourth quarter, adding 25 points on to the leading team's score at the end of the third and playing an untimed period to determine the winner. In a race to 111 points, the Celtics built a small lead to start before Valentine caught fire and put the game away. He splashed home three-straight triples to get Maine within one point of the target score, and Kabengele finished a putback dunk off a missed layup to seal the upset win for the Celtics, 112-106.

Maine advances to the semifinal round of the Winter Showcase and will face the winner of 4-seed Ontario/5-seed Iowa on Dec. 20 at 8:30 PM EST. If the Celtics win on Tuesday, they will play for the $100,000 grand prize in the championship on Thursday, Dec. 22.

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NBA G League Stories from December 19, 2022


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