Davison Dominates as Celtics Beat Squadron 103-90

PORTLAND, Maine. - JD Davison dominated with 40 points as the Maine Celtics beat the Birmingham Squadron 103-90 on Sunday afternoon.

Maine has now won three of their last four games as the Celtics improve to 4-2 in the regular season. Birmingham falls to 1-1 after the loss. Both teams shot under 45% from the field in a low scoring game at the Expo. The Celtics leaned on their Boston affiliated players to get the win against the Squadron. Davison led the charge with 40 points, six rebounds, six steals, and three assists as the starters accounted for 98 of Maine's 103 points. 

For the sixth consecutive game, Baylor Scheierman scored 20 points or more. The Boston assignee buried five of 11 three-pointers and finished with 21 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists on Sunday. Drew Peterson returned to Maine's lineup for the first time this regular season. Peterson provided 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Fellow Two-Way Player Anton Watson was also in double figures with 14 points.

Birmingham was led by 21 points and six assists from Jalen Crutcher. Lester Quinones added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Izaiah Brockington posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Sunday was Throwback Day in front of a sellout crowd at the Portland Expo. Maine's player and coaches wore "Red Claws" uniforms, the team's nickname for the franchise's first 11 seasons. It marks the first time since March 2020 that Maine has worn Red Claws jerseys.

Despite playing its third game in four days, Maine showed no signs of fatigue to start the game. It was the Boston guys leading the way for Maine in the opening quarter. Only Celtics Two-Way Players and Boston assignee Baylor Scheierman would score, led by 13 points from JD Davison. Davison's made three-pointer with 5:54 to play marked another piece of history for the Two-Way Player. That shot put him past 2,000 career points, becoming the first Maine Celtic to accomplish the feat. Davison is already Maine's all-time career scoring leader. Sunday's game was also Davison's 108th in a Celtics uniform, which ties for the most in franchise history. Despite all the fireworks, Maine held a narrow 28-27 lead after one.

Maine forced back to back shot clock violations against the Squadron to start the second quarter. That set the tone for the Celtics on defense, who did not allow Birmingham to score until the 8:30 mark. Consecutive made three-pointers by Davison and Peterson gave Maine their largest lead of the game, 43-35 with under three minutes to go in the half. The Squadron responded with a 7-0 run to pull Birmingham within one of Maine, 43-42 at halftime.

Birmingham brought the fight to Maine to start the second half on a 11-0 run and quickly claimed a 10-point advantage. Going back to the first half, Maine went over six minutes of gameplay without scoring. The theme for the New Year has been gritty, and the "Red Claws" name change wouldn't change that on Sunday. It also wouldn't change who Maine's go-to player has been all season long. Davison went on a personal 14-0 to erase the 11-point deficit and regain the lead for the Celtics. After trailing the Squadron 59-48, Maine outscored Birmingham 23-4 to take a 71-63 lead to star the fourth quarter.

With Davison on the bench to start the fourth quarter, Scheierman carried Maine's offense with six points and an assist to start the quarter. After Maine struggled to connect from distance for much of the game, Scheierman and Peterson knocked down five total shots from distance to bring Maine's lead back up to double digits. Davison put a punctuation mark on the win with a steal on one end and a windmill slam on the other with 1:34 to play in the game. The Celtics made eight of 12 shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, securing their second consecutive win with a 103-90 defeat of the Squadron.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: JD Davison was the Player of the Game after scoring 40 points on 15-22 shooting from the field, including 4-8 from deep. It's the second 40-point game of Davison's career. Davison also surpassed 2,000 career points on Sunday, becoming the first Maine Celtic to accomplish that feat.

THE ROAD AHEAD: Maine hits the road for one game against the Indiana Mad Ants on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 12:30 p.m. The Celtics then return home to the Expo on Friday for the first of a back-to-back against Raptors 905 at 7 p.m.