Celtics homestand continues against Grand Rapids

PORTLAND, Maine. - The Celtics' homestand continues on Thursday when Maine hosts the Grand Rapids Gold, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets.

The Celtics and Gold will tip-off at 7 p.m. at the Portland Expo. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+ and NBC Sports Boston.

Maine is 9-6 in the regular season after beating the Greensboro Swarm, 147-138 on Sunday. Tosan Evbuomwan and Max Shulga led the way with massive performances. Evbuomwan scored 21 in the first half and finished with 34 points and 10 assists while Shulga scored
23 in the second half to finish with 33 points and 13 assists. That marked just the ninth time in franchise history that two Maine Celtics scored 30+ points in the same game. Jalen Bridges added 24 points as eight Maine players finished in double figures. This marked the first game where Maine surpassed 140 points since Nov. 20, 2022. 147 points is the fourth highest output in franchise history, and 285 combined points is the fifth most in a Maine Celtics game ever.

Grand Rapids (5-9) look to put a halt to a three-game losing streak. The Gold most recently played on January 22 in what was a 125-114 loss to the Motor City Cruise. Entering Thursday's contest, Maine is sixth in the Eastern Conference standings and Grand Rapids is 13th.

The Gold boast three scorers who average 19 points or more in Curtis Jones (Two-Way Player), Moses Brown, and James Akinjo. Jones is the Gold's leading scorer, averaging 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Jones nearly posted a triple-double in his last outing against the Cruise with 15 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. Maine Celtics fans may remember the historic stat line Brown posted against Maine last season. While playing for the Westchester Knicks in a playoff game against the Celtics on April 3, Brown finished with 27 points and 26 rebounds, setting a new NBA G League record for rebounds in a single postseason game.

Maine is expected to have Two-Way players Ron Harper Jr. and Max Shulga available on Thursday. Harper Jr. was recently named to the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars. Harper Jr. has played in 16 games for Maine this season, averaging 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He has surpassed 30 points four times this season, including a 46-point performance in Maine’s win over Delaware on Nov. 21. Harper Jr. was named NBA G League Player of the Week for games played Nov. 17-23. With Boston, Harper Jr. has played in seven games this season. The sharpshooter hasn't played at the Expo since January 9 in a win over Salt Lake City.

KEY TO THE GAME: Maine will have to force Grand Rapids to play to their pace. The Gold are first in the G League during the regular season in field goal attempts per game, averaging 95 per contest. They also rank fourth in pace and seventh in offensive rating. The Celtics will once again have to rely on their defense (fifth in defensive rating) to limit Grand Rapids' opportunities on offense.