Game Preview - Maine at Long Island - Jan. 8, 2024
By Maine Celtics Staff /January 8, 2024
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Game details:
Matchup: Maine Celtics (2-2) at Long Island Nets (2-2)
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; Uniondale, N.Y.
Tip-off: 7:00 PM EST
Streaming: ESPN+
The Maine Celtics escaped the past weekend’s snowstorm just in the nick of time, making it down to New York for a two-game set with the Long Island Nets that tips off this evening.
The Celtics bounced back from an 0-2 start to the Showcase with a pair of wins over the Nets at the Expo on Nov. 17 and 19, scoring 134 points on the front end of the two-game series, Maine’s second-highest scoring output of the season so far. The winner of tonight’s contest will break through the .500 mark as we settle into the thick of the G League regular season.
Breaking down the Nets:
After a flurry of roster moves over the last few days, the Nets are now one of three teams with an open Two-Way slot following the release of Armoni Brooks. Brooks was Long Island’s fourth-leading scorer behind Brooklyn assignee Jalen Wilson, Two-Way guard Keon Johnson and Kennedy Chandler. The Nets haven’t signed a new Two-Way player to replace Brooks and Wilson is with Brooklyn, leaving Long Island a bit shorthanded – at least for tonight.
The Nets still have a pair of rookie assignment players even though Wilson is with the big club – 2023 first-round picks Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead will both be active for tonight’s game. Clowney and Whitehead were selected back-to-back with the 21st and 22nd picks in this past draft, averaging 17.7 points and 9 points with Long Island, respectively, while Clowney ranks second on the team with 8 rebounds per game and has made 50% of his 3-pointers during the regular season. The 19-year-old Alabama product has settled into the pro game as of late, recording 14 points in only his second NBA appearance, then notching 25 points on 15 shots with Long Island just two days later in late-December.
Through four regular season games, the Nets carry the #5 offense and lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Conversely, the Nets rank 21st in defense and 26th in pace – just below the Celtics, which rank 23rd in pace. Long Island has shot 40% from deep as a team, though they sit outside the top-10 in the league in 3-point attempts. If Maine’s 12th-ranked defense can force the Nets into contested looks from the perimeter, thus reducing Long Island’s efficiency, the volume may not be there for them to counteract it.
Keys to the game:
Transition defense: Maine leads the league in second-chance points per game with 22.8 – the only issue is that the Celtics give up the 11th-most fastbreak points, limiting the team’s ability to capitalize on gaining extra possessions and cut into the opponent’s time of possession. Gotta find a balance between crashing the glass and getting back on defense.
Let ‘em fly: The Celtics have three players shooting above league-average (36.5%) from 3-point land; Jordan Schakel (48.5%), Drew Peterson (40.9%) and Boston assignment player Jordan Walsh (38.5%). Schakel ranks fourth in the league in percentage among players taking at least 7 threes per game, while Peterson and Walsh each make at least 2 triples per game. Maine has been one of the most efficient high-volume 3-point shooting teams throughout the Showcase and regular season, mirroring the philosophy and style of play we see down in Boston.