Game Preview - Maine at Westchester - Nov. 29, 2023

Game details:  

Matchup: Maine Celtics (4-2) at Westchester Knicks (5-2) 

Location: Westchester County Center; White Plains, N.Y. 

Tip-off: 7:00 PM EST 

Streaming: ESPN+ 

Winners of four-straight games, the Maine Celtics head back out on the road for a three-game swing beginning tonight with a matchup against the Westchester Knicks. 

The Knicks own the best record in the East Showcase pod to this point, sitting at 5-2 with a 125-107 victory over the Celtics already under their belt. Westchester boasts the #6 offense and #4 defense, the only team in the G League inside the top-six on both ends of the court; only College Park and Ontario join the Knicks inside the top-10. Simply put; the Knicks are a quality two-way team. 

Breaking down the Knicks: 

Westchester has already made a significant roster change this season. The injured Duane Washington Jr. was waived off a Two-Way contract with the Knicks earlier this week and was replaced by Jaylen Martin, a rookie affiliate player with Westchester. In six appearances, the Overtime Elite product has averaged 10.8 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 44.8% from the field. 

In the Nov. 12 contest with the Knicks, Washington scored 33 points, shot 12-17 from the floor and dished 10 assists – subtracting that production certainly helps the Celtics’ chances in this one. Brandon Goodwin is leading the Westchester offense with 19.3 points and 8.4 assists per game but was limited to 15 points on 5-13 shooting last time out by Maine’s lengthy switch-heavy defense. Forcing Goodwin into another tough shooting night and turning traditional play-finishers such as Two-Way forward Jacob Toppin, Two-Way guard Charlie Brown Jr. and Isaiah Roby into shot creators and playmakers in Westchester’s sixth-ranked offense. 

Generating turnovers, running in transition, and finding easy scoring opportunities in the open court is a staple for modern offenses – the Knicks have that formula down to a science. Westchester leads the league with 24.7 points off turnovers per game and is very effective turning teams over and finishing off fastbreaks. 

Three keys to the game: 

Limit turnovers: The Knicks are in the top-half of the league in pace; control the tempo, slow them down, and force them to execute in halfcourt. Westchester scores just 0.89 points per possession (PPP) on spot up play types via Synergy Sports. 

Be physical without fouling: Maine averaged 25 fouls per game in its 0-2 start. Since then, the Celtics average 17 fouls per game, a major factor in a four-game win streak since. Limiting attempts is huge. The Knicks are a bottom-five team in the league in free throw percentage – limit their opportunities to correct that. 

Feed the roll-man: For a team with no shortage of size and physicality, hitting the roller out of pick-and-roll actions is an efficient way to score in the paint. Per Synergy, Celtics players score 1.15 PPP as the P&R Roll Man, the second-most efficient play type for Maine besides Isolation. Getting Nathan Knight, Kylor Kelley and James Banks III rolling towards the rim with momentum and hitting them with accurate pocket passes has been quite a productive source of offense for Maine.