
Short-Handed Celtics Stifled in College Park
December 2, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - A fourth quarter comeback by Maine wasn't enough as the shorthanded Celtics lost to College Park 102-90 on Monday night.
The Celtics were playing without Two-Way Players JD Davison and Drew Peterson, who were with Boston. Maine was also without Ron Harper Jr. and Jay Scrubb due to injury. Maine falls to 4-5 after the loss.
Maine's third Two-Way Player and 2024 NBA Draft Second Round Pick Anton Watson saw an elevated role on offense in those players absence. Watson scored a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Maine. Tristan Enaruna finished with 17 points and six rebounds and Donald Carey Jr. added 16 points off the bench for Maine.
The Celtics were once again efficient in the turnover battle, turning the ball over just 12 times compared to 24 for the Skyhawks. Maine also continued to show why they are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league and grabbed 16 on Monday. It wasn't enough to overcome a poor shooting performance that saw the Celtics connect on just 10 of 44 shots from three and 6-14 trips to the free throw line.
Each quarter, a different Skyhawk player would have a breakthrough performance to lead College Park (6-3) as seven finished with double-digit scoring totals. Kevon Harris led the way with a near triple-double performance of 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Mouhamed Gueye posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds and Dominick Barlow contributed 15 points and shot 3-4 from three. College Park held their opponent to less than 100 points for the fifth time this season.
College Park jumped on Maine after the opening tip with 10-0 run to start the game. Skyhawks were led by Keaton Wallace, who scored 10 of the first 13 points for College Park. The Celtics answered with a 21-10 run in a balanced effort that briefly gave Maine a narrow lead, but it was the Skyhawks who held a 24-23 lead after the first quarter.
Maine regained the lead in the second quarter, led by nine first half points from Carey Jr. and eight by Enaruna. Leading 30-28 with 8:36 to play in the quarter, College Park finished the first half by outscoring Maine 25-12. The Skyhawks' stingy defense held Maine to just 18-45 shooting from the field, including 4-20 from beyond the arc. Gueye and Barlow led College Park with 10 and nine points in the second quarter respectively. A long two-point shot by Carey Jr. as the clock expired found the bottom of the net, but the Celtics trailed the Skyhawks 53-42 at the break.
The Skyhawks continued to build their lead to start the third quarter, opening the second half on a 9-2 run to extend their advantage to 18 points. College Park found their rhythm from three in the third quarter, connecting on 7-13 from deep to grow their lead to as many as 25 behind 12 third quarter points from Bowden. Despite 10 points in the quarter from Watson, he Skyhawks finished the quarter on an 11-2 run and led Maine 88-65 to begin the fourth.
Searching for some momentum to bring into Wednesday's matchup, Maine started the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run, quickly forcing a Skyhawks timeout. The inspired play continued for the Celtics, who elevated their energy on defense and cut the Skyhawks lead all the way down to 10 points with 2:36 to play. Maine forced 12 turnovers and outscored College Park 25-14 in the fourth quarter, but could not muster up enough shots down the stretch to pull off the comeback as the Celtics lost their second straight, 102-90 and fall to 4-5 on the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME : Anton Watson was the player of the game on Monday after scoring a career-best 16 points on 6-14 shooting, including 4-9 from three. Watson also grabbed nine rebounds and snagged one steal.
THE ROAD AHEAD : Maine will face College Park again on Wednesday with an early tip-off scheduled for 11 a.m. EST. The game will broadcast live on NBAGLeague.com.
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