Swarm Snap Celtics' Streak
February 25, 2023 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
GREENSBORO, NC - Théo Maledon and Jalen Crutcher both went for 20-plus points as the Greensboro Swarm snapped the Maine Celtics' six-game win streak, claiming a 122-110 victory,
Luka Šamanić posted 27 points and six rebounds for Maine (14-8). Kamar Baldwin totaled 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Denzel Valentine contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Two-Way guard JD Davison put up 17 points and four rebounds off the bench. Tony Snell scored 12 points, and for the second-straight game, put up a G League career-best in rebounds with 12.
Two-Way guard Maledon led Greensboro (8-14) with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists, shooting 7-11 from the floor; Crutcher added 23 points on 8-13 shooting. Two-Way guard Bryce McGowens posted 19 points and Charlotte assignee James Bouknight had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Xavier Sneed tallied 13 points.
Whaley pump-faked Šamanić and laid it in for the game's first points, and Šamanić countered by flipping one over his left shoulder to get Maine on the board. The two sides traded buckets to start as both teams shot well out of the gates, with the Celtics holding a 17-16 lead just shy of the halfway mark. Maine's second unit helped them separate a bit, building the lead out to double-digits, 34-23 when Davison kicked to Marvin Smith Jr. for a corner three-ball. The Celtics held serve to wrap up the first, establishing a 39-31 lead with seven players getting on the scoreboard in the opening frame.
An 11-0 run early in the second gave Greensboro the lead back, 44-41 before Reggie Kissoonlal II banged home a triple to tie it back up. The Swarm regained a small lead mid-quarter behind the shot creation and playmaking of Bouknight and Maledon, and Greenboro was able to go up by as much as nine before Davison's three-quarter-court sprint ended in a buzzer-beating finger roll that made it 62-55 at halftime. Maine shot just 6-26 from the floor in the quarter, committed six team turnovers and were outscored 31-16 in a sluggish second quarter.
Matching with the trend from the first half, both teams shot well out of the locker room in a high-octane opening to the third quarter. Šamanić scored seven points alone and Eric Demers canned a side-step three to cap off a 10-0 run for the Celtics as they regained the lead, 72-69. Maine's run extended out to 17-6 and the Celtics went up by six before Crutcher stopped the bleeding for Greensboro. The Swarm responded with five unanswered, with Simmons' triple giving them an 80-79 lead. A trio of layups in the final two minutes helped Maine earn a one-point lead after three, 85-84.
Greensboro took the lead back again by the 11-minute mark of the fourth, going on a 6-0 run before Šamanić could answer for the Celtics. The Swarm were able to get the run out to 12-2, giving them a near-double digit lead, responding in kind to Maine's efforts like they had all night long. Davison took over for a stretch in the final frame, hitting a three, finding a cutting Šamanić and Euro-stepping Bouknight in transition to give the Celtics a needed boost, but ultimately the Swarm had too much firepower. Maine got within four, 102-98 with just over five minutes left, but a game-breaking 14-7 run put them in the driver's seat for good. Greensboro snapped the Celtics' six-game win streak with a 122-110 win on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Maine Celtics will return to action against the South Bay Lakers on March 2, the first matchup in a three-game Southern California road swing.
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