Maine Falls to Raptors 905 in OT Heartbreaker
Maine Public Relations /January 11, 2025
)
Portland, ME – JD Davison buried a deep three to force overtime in dramatic fashion, but the Maine Celtics eventually fell in OT at the hands of Raptors 905, 121-119.
Maine (4-4) was led by Davison who finished with a game-high 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Jay Scrubb led the bench with 23 points, while Boston Celtics assignee Baylor Scheierman scored 18 points. Anton Watson and Hason Ward each finished with 16 points in the loss.
Raptors 905 (3-2) was led by Jared Rhoden and Eugene Omoruyi, who each scored 20 points in the win. Ulrich Chomche, Jamison Battle, and Frank Kaminsky each scored 13 points for the 905, while Toronto assignee Jonathan Mogbo scored 11 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
Ward started the scoring in the early going of the 1st quarter, making his first three shots including a triple. The 905 surged to an early 15-11 lead led by Battle and Mogbo’s offensive efforts, but Davison led a rally for the Celtics. The point guard’s contested driving dunk got the Expo faithful on their feet, and Maine back in the game. Tristan Enaruna’s three gave Maine its first lead and forced a Raptors 905 timeout with 4:44 to go. Scrubb’s emphatic put-back followed by a Watson 3-point free throw helped put Maine up 32-30 after one.
In the 2nd, Scrubb continued the hot start, scoring a layup off a Dmytro Skapintsev assist to put Maine up six. Frank Kaminsky caught fire for the 905, scoring five consecutive points. Lawson’s free throw put Raptors 905 up 37-36. An Evan Gilyard three capped a 10-0 905 run. Scrubb scored three straight points to stop the bleeding, but Kennedy Chandler answered the other way. Scrubb buried back-to-back threes to get it within one point. The two teams would trade baskets, and Scheierman’s bucket as time expired made it a 64-61 deficit for Maine at the break. 27 personal fouls were called in the first half, and Maine shot 51.2% (19-43) from the floor.
Kaminsky opened the scoring in the 3rd with a putback layup. Ward followed that up with an alley-oop from Davison. The 905 got heated up from the outside – Rhoden and Battle made consecutive threes to extend their lead to 9. Scheierman stopped the bleeding with a trey of his own, but a Comche layup put Raptors 905 up 80-72 and forced a Maine timeout. Davison buried a triple to keep the Celtics within range, Quincy Guerrier’s driving dunk put Raptors 905 up nine late in the period, and the 905 took a 93-84 lead after 3 quarters.
In the 4th, Maine jumped on the 905 with a 9-2 run to start the quarter. The two teams traded buckets for the first half of the period, with the 905 maintaining a four point advantage. Maine ran out of firepower late, with late 905 buckets by Chomche and Omoruyi putting Raptors 905 up 109-101. Watson’s fast-break driving dunk cut it to three. In the final minute, Scheierman’s put-back made it a two point game. Lawson made only one free throw to make it 112-109 with :09.2 left and Maine with the ball. The 905 intentionally fouled to avoid a three-pointer, and Scrubb made them both to make it 112-111. Down three, Davison buried a deep three to tie the game at 114 and force overtime.
In the extra period, the first team to seven points wins in NBA G League games. Both teams traded missed shots before Omoruyi scored to put the 905 up two. Watson buried a three to give Maine a 117-116 lead. Ward fouled out of the game sending Mogbo to the line who gave the 905 the lead back at 118-117. Kaminsky’s dunk pushed Maine to the brink at 120-117. Watson forced a steal to get Scrubb to the line, cutting it to 120-119. Omoruyi was fouled and made his second free throw to win the game. The Celtics are now 0-3 in overtime games this season.
Maine shot 44.3% (39-88) from the floor, 29.7% (11-37) from three-point range, and 19-27 from the free throw line. Raptors 905 shot 46.6% (41-88) from the field, 40.7% (11-27) from beyond the arc, and 18-24 from the charity stripe.
Maine and Raptors 905 meet again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Portland Expo. The game will air live on NBAGLeague.com and NBC Sports Boston.