Celtics Bounce Back to Hand Westchester First Loss of Tip-Off Tournament

PORTLAND, Maine. - JD Davison poured in 31 points and six Celtics scored in double figures as Maine handed Westchester their first loss of the season, 118-110.

Six Celtics scored in double figures as Maine bounced back in a big way in front of a sellout crowd at the Expo on Sunday. It was an impressive answer for a team that trailed by as many as 51 to Knicks just last Friday. With the win, Maine improves to 2-2 in the NBA G League Tip-off Tournament.

Davison also distributed eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Baylor Scheierman continued to light it up from beyond the arc. The 2024 NBA first-round draft pick connected on 5-10 from three for a 20-point, 11 rebound double-double. In his second game suiting up for Maine this season, two-way player Drew Peterson packed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Anton Watson, Dmytro Skapintsev, and Tristan Enaruna also finished in double figures.

After shooting 66.7% from deep on Friday, the Knicks came back down to earth on Sunday against a revamped Celtics defense. Westchester connected on just 6-28 shots from three (21.4%) and 42.6% from the field. Maine also protected the paint in Sunday's game, blocking nine Knicks shots. Westchester was led by a 26-point, 18-rebound double-double by Moses Brown. TJ Warren added 22 points and six assists to lead the Knicks.

Maine was looking to build off a promising fourth quarter in Friday night's loss to the Knicks, where the Celtics outscored Westchester 41-19 in the 127-100 defeat in the team's home opener. Cutting into the large deficit gave Celtics Head Coach Tyler Lashbrook and his staff some beneficial film to build on with the team. It also helped improve Maine's point differential in the early part of the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament.

Entering Sunday's game, the Celtics stood in fifth in the Eastern Division standings at 1-2 overall. Westchester and College Park were atop the division at 3-0 a piece. Teams are placed into four regions and will play 14 games exclusively against each other. Maine is in the East Region alongside Capital City, College Park, Delaware, Greensboro, Long Island, Raptors 905, and Westchester. The teams with the best winning percentage in each region, along with the next four teams with the best winning percentage regardless of their region will advance to compete for the Championship at the NBA G League Winter Showcase. The first tie-breaker is head to head matchups and the second tie-breaker is point differential.

After never leading in Friday's game, Maine quickly changed the tone on Sunday, bringing a new force and intensity to the Knicks in the opening quarter. Westchester shot nearly 60% from the field in Friday's opener, but the Celtics were able to slow down Westchester to 44% through one. Davison played the role of distributor, dishing out three assists as Maine found early success in the pick and roll game with Dmytro Skapintsev and two-way player Anton Watson.

A sell-out crowd at the Expo rose to its feet in the final minutes of the opening quarter when Hason Ward rejected a dunk attempt by Westchester's Alex O'Connell, which led to a transition slam by Davison. The play was Sunday's Drive of the Game, sponsored by Bill Dodge GMC Buick.

The energy in the building was a welcome site after Friday, but the Celtics still trailed Westchester 30-17 entering the second quarter. After two blocks in Sunday's game, the rookie out of Iowa State now has 15 blocks in four games of the G League Tip-Off Tournament.

An 11-2 run by the Celtics midway through the second quarter helped Maine build their largest lead of the night. Once again, it started on defense as Maine forced two Knicks shot clock violations as Westchester's shooting continued to cool. In contrast to Friday's 66.7% shooting from three, Westchester connected on just 3 of 13 shots from deep (23.1%) in the first half. Westchester did hold a first-half advantage in total fouls, as Maine was whistled 17 times compared to just eight for the Knicks, but Westchester failed to capitalize from the charity stripe, making just five of 12 free throw attempts. Davison led Maine with 16 first half points including a lay-up with 6.2 seconds left to give the Celtics a 60-52 advantage entering halftime, their largest lead of the game.

Westchester quickly swung the momentum back in their favor with four quick points in the first 23 seconds of the third quarter. After a quick timeout by Coach Lashbrook, Maine answered with a 12-4 run, extending their lead over the Knicks to 12, their largest of the game. Second chance opportunities helped the Knicks battle back. One of the top rebounding teams in the G League snagged 19 offensive rebounds through three quarters. Brown accounted for 11 of 23 total offensive rebounds on the night for Westchester. NBA veteran TJ Warren scored 20 points for the Knicks through three quarters and a Damion Baugh steal and score with 3.2 seconds left tied the game up at 89 points apiece to begin the fourth quarter.

Westchester stayed within two until an electric sequence by Maine helped the Celtics extend their lead back up to seven. First, Davison soared in on a Jordan Schakel shot attempt for a thunderous put-back dunk. On the ensuing play, Ward forced a steal on Brown and finished it with two-handed slam to bring the Expo crowd back to their feet.

With the Knicks back within two, Watson and Scheierman would come up with big plays in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. First, both connected on crucial three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Maine a 108-102 advantage with 2:30 to play. It was Watson who punctuated the win with a one-handed jam over Brown with a minute to play. Scheierman once again followed suit, knocking down a dagger three from the corner with 25.2 seconds to play to put Maine up 115-106 as the celebration was on in the Expo.

Maine picks up a crucial victory 118-110 over the Knicks and improves to 2-2 in the NBA G League Tip-off Tournament. Westchester slips to 3-1 after Sunday's loss.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: JD Davison was named the Player of the Game after the win. Davison finished with 31 points on 12-18 shooting. Davison also dished out eight assists, and grabbed seven rebounds in 33 minutes.

UP NEXT: Maine returns to the Expo on Friday, November 22 when they host the Capital City Go-Go at 7:00 p.m. That game will broadcast live on NBAGLeague.com and will air on NBC Sports Boston on Tape Delay. The Celtics will host the Go-Go again on Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. That game will broadcast live on NBA TV and on NBC Sports Boston on Tape Delay.