Raptors 905 Steal 115-114 Win at Portland Expo

PORTLAND, Maine. - For the second consecutive home game, the Maine Celtics lost by one in the final seconds as Raptors 905 escaped a sellout crowd at the Portland Expo with a 115-114 win.

Maine fell to 6-8 after the loss with the Winter Showcase looming next week. Raptors 905 improved to 4-10 after winning their first road game since their season opener on November 9 in Delaware.

JD Davison led the Celtics with 35 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Anton Watson added 16 points and Jay Scrubb provided 14 points and five rebounds off the bench for Maine.

Playing without Two-Way Player Jamison Battle and affiliate player Charlie Brown, Jr., Raptors 905 forced Maine into 23 turnovers, their most in a game this season. A.J. Lawson and Eugene Omoruyi each tallied 34 points to lead 905. Omoruyi was 14-18 from the field with ten rebounds and four assists and three steals. Lawson was 11-22 from the field to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Jamal Shead finished with a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

905 got off to an electric start in the first quarter, connecting on four consecutive shots from three to start the game to lead Maine 14-6. Omoruyi accounted for 10 of those 14 points on 4-4 shooting. The Celtics answered with a 24-2 run in six minutes of gameplay to flip the script on 905. Watson had a thunderous, poster dunk as Maine's lead would grow to as many as 17. 905 would only score two more field goals in the quarter as Maine led 37-22 after the first.

After Maine extended their lead to 19, 905 responded with a 12-3 run to pull within 10 with 8:44 to play in the half. Raptors continued to force turnovers by the Celtics, as Maine saw their lead shrink to just five with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter. 905 forced Maine, the top team in the league in turnovers, into 13 first half turnovers, which matches the Celtics per game average throughout the Tip-Off Tournament. A three with 7.7 to play by Quincy Guerrier gave 905 their first lead of the second quarter as 905 was in front 62-61 at halftime. Omoruyi led all scorers with 22 points on 9-10 shooting from the field.

Neither team could create any separation in the third until the 4:00 mark. 905 continued to give Maine problems on offense, forcing eight turnovers in the quarter. Lawson led the way with 12 points in the quarter as 905 outscored the Celtics 14-4 in the final four minutes to carry a 94-86 lead over Maine to start the fourth quarter.

Maine was down 10 at the 10:39 mark when Davison checked back into the game. The third-year guard quickly buried a three, and accounted for 10 of Maine's next 13 points to try to keep the Celtics in striking range. Hason Ward swatted away a shot with 6:42 to play that led to a Ron Harper Jr. corner triple as the Celtics cut the 905 lead down to just five. Maine trailed 905, 114-108 with 1:43 left in the game. After Davison split a trip to the free throw line, Baylor Scheierman connected on a long three to make it 114-112 with 1:03 to go. On the other end, Lawson split a pair of free throws to keep the game within one possession. After both teams came up empty on offense, Maine called timeout with the ball with 16.1 seconds left, trailing 115-112.

With 15 fourth quarter points in hand, everyone knew who the shot was going to go to. Peterson inbounded it to Davison, who quickly scored deep in the paint to pull the Celtics within one. On the ensuing inbound, the 905 was called for a backcourt violation, giving Maine the ball back with 6.6 seconds on the clock. With over 2,000 people on their feet at the Expo, Celtics players and fans would go home dreaming of what could have been. Shead stole the inbound pass and ate up the remaining time on the clock as 905 escaped Portland with a 115-114 victory.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: JD Davison was the Player of the Game after scoring 35 points on 15-22 shooting. Davison also dished out eight assists, grabbed five rebounds and recorded two steals. 17 of Davison's 35 points came in the fourth quarter.

THE ROAD AHEAD: Sunday's game was the final game of the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament before the Winter Showcase portion begins. The Celtics will now travel to Orlando, Florida to play two games in the Winter Showcase beginning on December 18. Game schedule is to be determined.