G League Maine Celtics

Short-Handed Maine Celtics Fall to Fort Wayne

Published on January 25, 2023 under NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release


INDIANAPOLIS, IN - After the game was postponed for a day due to inclement weather, the short-handed Maine Celtics were outpaced by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, falling 133-119 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Marial Shayok led Maine (8-4) with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Kamar Baldwin put up a career high in scoring for the second straight game, tallying 28 points, a career-best 11 rebounds and six assists for his second double-double of the season. Eric Demers put up a career-high 20 points, a career-high four assists and three rebounds, shooting 6-9 from long range. Scottie Lindsey made four three-pointers on the way to 18 points. Trey Davis finished with seven points and Reggie Kissoonlal blocked seven shots and grabbed six rebounds. Maine's Two-Way players, JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele, played the last two games with the Boston Celtics and were not with the team. Luka Šamanić and Denzel Valentine were both sidelined for the midday contest.

Gabe York dropped 36 points on 18 shot attempts to lead Fort Wayne (7-4), adding seven boards and six assists. Justin Anderson had 32 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jermaine Samuels Jr. added 23 points and 12 rebounds. Tevin Brown scored 14 and snared six rebounds and David Stockton tallied nine points and 10 assists. Eli Brooks posted 12 points.

Demers splashed home a corner triple and Samuels finished a layup to kick off the afternoon. Demers would score the first five points for Maine, though he'd soon check out after picking up two quick fouls. York scored 11 of Fort Wayne's first 13 points as they lead 13-8 at the first break. The Celtics shot poorly all day long but were hitting enough threes to hang around. Reeves nailed one from the corner just before the horn to give Maine a 27-25 lead after one.

The Celtics got out to a 30-29 lead, but an 18-10 run from there snowballed into a 36-19 advantage for the Mad Ants in the second quarter, powering them ahead by 15 points by halftime. Maine shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half to Fort Wayne's 51.2 percent. Nine made three-pointers kept them within striking distance as they trailed 61-46 at halftime despite 11 points from Demers and eight points, seven boards and five assists from Shayok.

Eight of the first 10 points in the second half were scored by Fort Wayne before the Celtics got back in the swing of things. A 9-2 run got the Celtics right back in it as Shayok had piled up 16 points and they trailed by 11, 79-68. Fort Wayne bounced back and quickly stretched the lead back beyond a dozen, but another heater from deep helped the Celtics hang around. Baldwin's three cut it to single digits, but Pedro Bradshaw answered with a three of his own to make it 93-81 heading into the fourth.

Both offenses heated up and boosted their shooting percentages in the fourth, with Maine shooting 61.9 percent in the final frame to stage a comeback attempt. The Celtics ripped off a 10-2 run with seven minutes to go and were able to get within four, 107-103 on a corner three from Shayok, but York and Anderson helped Fort Wayne take control in the clutch. A 21-13 run to end the game kept the Mad Ants in the driver's seat as they collected a 133-119 victory.

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