Game Preview - Maine at Delaware - March 13, 2024

Game details:                    

Matchup: Maine Celtics (16-11) at Delaware Blue Coats (17-9)  

Location: Chase Fieldhouse; Wilmington, Delaware   

Tipoff: 7:00 PM EST                    

Streaming: ESPN+ 

The Maine Celtics are back in action against the Delaware Blue Coats two days after knocking off the East’s #2 seed in what could be their biggest game of the regular season. 

Behind Drew Peterson’s first-career triple-double and 27 points from DJ Steward, the Celtics cruised to a 21-point win on Monday night. At the time, Delaware held the best winning percentage in the G League but have since been passed by Osceola – a win for Maine tonight would put them just a half-game behind the Blue Coats in the East’s packed top-six. Tonight’s game is a big one for both sides. 

Breaking down the Blue Coats: 

Just prior to Monday’s game, Delaware lost arguably its best player when Darius Bazley earned a Call-Up and signed a three-year contract with the Utah Jazz. Losing one of the league’s leading rebounders and the team’s starting center, along with replacing center Kenneth Lofton Jr. with Jeff Dowtin Jr., has left the Blue Coats devoid of size on the interior.  

As a result, the Celtics outrebounded the Blue Coats 56-34 last time out and the team recorded nine total blocks (Kylor Kelley had five himself). Delaware shot well from deep, but Maine had total control over the paint and forced the Blue Coats into tough, contested looks every time the ball got inside the arc. The Celtics had a forty-point scoring margin in the paint (66-26), also making 15 threes at a 36.6% clip – apart from its 19 turnovers, Maine played a near-perfect game. 

Keys to the game: 

Follow the blueprint: Maine handled Delaware with ease last time out, fully leveraging its size advantage and creating massive disparities on the glass and in the paint. The Blue Coats will likely have the same lineup tonight with the 6-foot-6 Melvin Frazier Jr. at center. Kelley and James Banks III could be in line for another big night. 

Ride the hot hand: Steward has scored 20-plus points in each of the last five games, including tying his season-high with 34 points against Wisconsin and dropping 27 versus Delaware two nights ago. During this five-game heater, Steward is the league’s leading scorer at 27 points per game, shooting a blistering 53.6% from the field and 38.6% from deep on high volume. Few players in the G have performed better than Steward in the last two weeks.