Nets Cut Down Yabusele, Red Claws
February 21, 2018 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
Uniondale, NY - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, got into a big hole at the start of the game and could not overcome the deficit, falling to the Long Island Nets, 105-98.
The Red Claws (16-22) was led by Boston Celtics assignee Guerschon Yabusele with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Trey Davis added 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench. Celtics Two-Way Player Kadeem Allen scored 14 points for Maine, while L.J. Peak contributed 14 points, and Daniel Dixon added 10 points in the loss.
Long Island (21-16) were led by Milton Doyle with 25 points and James Webb III with 22 points.
The Nets jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead, with Milton Doyle knocking in a three. Yabusele stopped the run with a straight-on three of his own. Long Island continued its hot shooting, making 8 of its first 9 shots, and James Webb's three-pointer gave the Nets a 20-5 lead. The teams would trade buckets, with Yabusele and Allen leading the Claws offense. Brown got a three-point play to cut it to 29-18, but Long Island took a 34-20 lead after 1.
In the 2nd, Davis opened the scoring with an easy lay-in. Yakuba Ouattara helped extend the Nets' lead to 20 off of an 8-2 run to open the quarter. Yabusele and Allen got to the free throw line to try and get the Claws back into it. Dixon's lay-in cut it to 48-33, and Yabusele's jumper cut the deficit to 13. Webb continued his red-hot shooting from beyond the arc, extending Long Island's lead further. Maine scored just 2 points in the final 5:34 of the 2nd, as Long Island took a 61-37 lead at the half. Maine shot just 38% (14-37) from the field, and 1-10 from beyond the arc. The Nets shot 50% (23-46) from the floor in the first half, and 38% (5-13) from downtown.
The Red Claws opened the 3rd quarter with 7 quick points, but Doyle stopped the bleeding with a corner three. Doyle then drained another deep trey to make it 69-44 Nets. Yabusele's three-point play cut it to 20. Thomas Wimbush and Kamari Murphy hit back-to-back three's to make it 86-58 Nets. Long Island extended to a 32 point lead. The Red Claws scored 12 straight to cut it to 20. Maine out-scored Long Island 35-31 in the 3rd, but trailed 92-72 after 3.
In the 4th, Long Island started with 8 straight points to extend to a 100-72 lead. Davis drained back-to-back three's to get the Red Claws back to 19. Dixon and Davis continued to chip away at the deficit, making it a 12 point game at 103-91 with 5:22 to go. Yabusele's put-back cut it to 10. The Red Claws came up empty on 6 straight possessions down the stretch, sealing the game despite a valiant comeback. Maine out-scored Long Island 26-13 in the 4th quarter.
The Red Claws shot 45% (36-80) from the floor, 36% (9-25) from three-point range and 17-20 from the free throw line. Long Island shot 42% (37-89) from the field, 35% (12-34) from downtown, and 19-22 from the charity stripe.
Maine next heads to Florida to take on the Lakeland Magic on Friday night. The Red Claws return home on Sunday when they face Windy City. Limited tickets are still available by calling 207-210-6655 or visiting MaineRedClaws.com.
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