Motor City Holds off Maine Celtics' Late Rally
Published on February 11, 2026 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, MAINE - Maine cut an 18-point first-half deficit down to four in the final two minutes, but Motor City held on to top the Celtics 109-103 Wednesday night.
The loss is Maine's third straight and drops the Celtics to 11-11 in the regular season. The Cruise improve to 11-10 with the win.
Amari Williams led the Celtics with 29 points, 23 of which came in the second half. John Tonje scored 21 in his Celtics debut, while Aaron Scott with 16 and Kameron Warrens with 14 both scored in double-figures off the bench. Maine shot 44.7% (34-76) from the field and 37% (10-27) from distance in the defeat.
Former Maine Celtic Wendell Moore Jr. scored a game-high 30 points to lead Motor City in the win, while former Celtic Drew Peterson scored 20 to go along with 10 assists and 9 rebounds. Makhi Mitchell, also making his return to the Expo, scored 16 off the bench, as did stater Isaac Jones. Brice Williams with 13 and John Ukomadu with 10 also both finished with double figures. The Cruise shot 41% (34-83) from the field and 33.3% (10-30) from three in the victory. Motor City outrebounded Maine 52-33, scored 26 second-chance points and scored 24 points off 18 Celtic turnovers.
All five Motor City starters scored in the first 4:29, and with 6:51 to go in the first quarter, Jones' second bucket of the game lifted the Cruise on top 14-10. Motor City continued to add to the lead from there. Behind a 17-5 run, the Cruise grew a 29-15 advantage with 2:33 left in the first. But, Maine scored six of the final eight points of the quarter and cut the deficit to 31-21 after one.
To begin the second, the Cruise extended the lead again. A Jones basket put Motor City on top by 15 at 38-23. The Cruise continued to stay in control, and with 7:03 to go in the half, a Peterson three made it a 16-point lead, 45-29. Peterson scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half. With 4:57 to go in the quarter, the Cruise took their largest lead of the half after a Mitchell bucket put Motor City up 52-34. Back-to-back Scott threes cut the deficit to 52-40 and forced a Cruise timeout with 3:07 to go in the quarter. But Motor City outscored Maine 8-4 to close the half and led 60-44 at the break. Moore Jr. led all scorers with 14 points in the first half to go with Peterson's 13. Jones also finished the first half with 10 points and 8 rebounds. As a team, the Cruise shot 39.6% (19-48) from the floor and 36.8% (7-19) from three. Motor City also out-rebounded Maine 32-17 in the first half, 16 of which were offensive, leading to 18 second-chance points. Scott led the C's with 11 points off the bench in the first half, while Tonje had 10 in his first half as a Celtic. Maine shot 38.2% (13-34) from the field in the first half and 30.8% (4-13) from beyond the arc.
Amari Williams got off to a strong start in the second half. After just six first-half points, Williams scored seven in the first 3:05 of the third quarter. His basket with 8:55 to go in the third made it 69-54, Motor City. With the Cruise up 75-59, five straight Hank Morgan points cut the Motor City lead to 11 at 75-64 with 3:56 to go in third. Morgan scored all eight of his points in his home Expo debut in the third quarter. The Celtics got the Cruise lead down to 10, but Motor City finished the quarter on a 6-2 spurt and led 85-71 after three.
Maine chipped away right away to begin the fourth. Three-pointers on three straight possessions, one by Tonje, then two straight from Scott, lowered the Motor City back down to 11, 92-81 with 9:24 to play. With 9:01 to go, a Tonje free throw pulled the Celtics within 9 at 92-83, the first time the C's were within ten since the first quarter. A Williams basket with 3:48 left put the Celtics down just four, 97-93. But the Maine comeback would not get closer than that. Four straight made Cruise free throws in the final minute put the game away as Motor City held on for the 109-103 win.
The two-game series with the Cruise continues tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, with a 7 p.m start inside the Expo.
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