Game Preview - Maine at Delaware - March 11, 2024
By Maine Celtics Staff /March 11, 2024
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Game details:
Matchup: Maine Celtics (15-11) at Delaware Blue Coats (17-8)
Location: Chase Fieldhouse; Wilmington, Delaware
Tipoff: 7:00 PM EST
Streaming: NBAGLeague.com
Coming into tonight with a four-game win streak, the Maine Celtics face their toughest test of the regular season in the league-best Delaware Blue Coats.
A 16-8 record has Delaware atop the East standings with the best winning percentage in the G League, boasting a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and an 8-2 record at home during the regular season. Back in early-December, the Celtics and Blue Coats split a back-to-back at the Expo, with Maine taking the second game by a score of 135-109. Tonight’s winner claims the three-game season series.
Breaking down the Blue Coats:
Since that Showcase matchup a few months ago, Delaware’s roster and lineups have changed a bit. Most recently, Jeff Dowtin Jr. earned a Call-Up and is now on a Two-Way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers – he’s averaged 18.4 points and 5.7 assists in 17 regular season games with Delaware and appeared in three games with the Sixers. The Sixers waived Kenneth Lofton Jr. on March 1 to make room for Dowtin.
Dowtin’s fellow Two-Way guard Terquavion Smith leads the Blue Coats in scoring at 22.4 points per game, getting there by way of volume shooting; the rookie second rounder averages a whopping 10.7 3-point attempts per game and shoots 37.4% on them. Darius Bazley, the 23rd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, follows up with 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest, placing him inside the top-10 in the league in rebounds per game. Former Celtic Rob Edwards recently joined the Blue Coats after playing in 16 games with Maine earlier in the season. In his only game with Delaware, Edwards dropped 19 points, five rebounds and four assists on 50% shooting.
As a team, the Blue Coats are nothing if not consistent; they rank #8 in offense, #8 in defense, and have only lost consecutive games twice since the 2023-24 season began. But still, there are some areas where Maine has a clear advantage, particularly on the glass. The Blue Coats are 22nd in rebounding percentage while Maine is seventh, and the Celtics second-highest offensive rebounding rate directly contrasts with Delaware’s bottom-five defensive rebounding rate.
Keys to the game:
Battle of the bigs: The Blue Coats simply do not have the size to match the 7-foot Kylor Kelley and the strongly built, 6-foot-10 James Banks III, on top of the rebounding deficiencies. If Maine’s big men establish themselves on the interior early on, it could make for a long night for the Blue Coats.
Keep them off the line: Delaware leads the league in free throws made (13.1) and attempted (18.1) per game. Though their team percentage only ranks 21st, any professional team is capable of shooting well from the line on a given night. Limiting the 1-for-2s will either help Maine keep the game close or help them tack onto their lead.