Red Claws Fall in Home Finale
March 17, 2019 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
Portland, ME - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, had a 2 point lead in the 4th quarter, but were out-scored 22-13 down the stretch to fall to the Lakeland Magic, 112-103 at the home finale at the Portland Expo.
Maine (19-28), was led by R.J. Hunter who finished with 21 points off the bench. NBA veteran Thomas Robinson, who was signed an hour before the game, came off the bench to record a 17 point-10 rebound double-double. Andrew White added 16 points, while John Bohannon and Archie Goodwin each scored 14 in the loss.
Lakeland (29-18) was led by Gabe York with 27 points, and was a +30 in the game. John Petrucelli added 20 points, while Anthony Brown recorded 20 points off the bench.
Sheldon Jeter, making his first start of the season, buried his first shot of the game, a three, to put Maine up 5-2. Bohannon beat the shot clock with a three to put Maine up 6. The Magic came back, with Anthony Brown making a long two cutting the deficit to 17-16. After a turnover, Lakeland took the lead on a Devin Davis lay-up. Troy Caupain's three made it 21-19 Magic, but Hunter's corner three gave Maine the answer. The threes came fast and furious for both teams, with Maine taking a 30-27 lead after 1.
In the 2nd, both teams traded baskets early, with Davis helping even the game at 33. White's three gave Maine a 1 point lead, and Goodwin followed that up with a three of his own to make it 42-38 Red Claws. Maine's 8-0 run forced a Lakeland timeout. Robinson, making his Red Claws and G League debut, contributed 8 points in the first half, helping Maine's lead extend to 51-44. Lakeland would go on a 10-3 run, with John Petrucelli's lay-up tying the game at 54. The Red Claws led 55-54 at the half, with Goodwin leading Maine with 10 points. Anthony Brown led all scorers with 15 points at the break.
Bohannon and Goodwin opened the 3rd with back-to-back lay-ups to put Maine up 5. Petrucelli and the Magic came right back, with evening the game at 59. Gabe York's circus shot three-point play put Lakeland up 3. The Magic would then go on a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 76-63. Braian Angolo buried a couple of threes to extend the lead back to 13. Hunter buried a long three to cut it back to single digits late in the period, and Lakeland's lead after 3 quarters was 83-77.
In the 4th, Andrew White buried a three to cut the Lakeland lead to 1. Hunter continued to shoot the ball well, and Robinson's bucket gave Maine an 86-85 lead with 9:15 to go. The Red Claws and Magic would flip flop the lead several times in the next 4:00, but the Magic would go on a 12-0 run to take a 99-92 lead on the Brown jumpshot. Robinson's put-back slam cut it to 103-99. Dozier's three-point play made it a four point lead with 1:27 to go. York's contested three gave Lakeland a 7 point lead and put the game away for good.
Maine shot 50% (38-76) from the floor, 35.3% (12-34) from downtown and 15-24 from the free throw line. Lakeland shot 45.8% (38-83) from the field, 36.8% (14-38) from beyond the arc, and 22-26 from the charity stripe.
The Red Claws have 3 games remaining on the schedule, all on the road, starting Wednesday at Erie.
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