Game Preview - Maine vs. College Park - Dec. 16, 2023

Game details:       

Matchup: Maine Celtics (8-5) vs. College Park Skyhawks (8-5)  

Location: Portland Expo; Portland, Maine   

Tip-off: 7:00 PM EST     

Streaming: NBC Sports Boston, NBAGLeague.com 

Following a crucial win last night, the Maine Celtics are back at it today with a chance to solidify their spot in the Winter Showcase Cup tournament next week. 

With an 8-5 record heading into the final game of the Showcase schedule, the Maine Celtics currently sit in a group of six teams that have a chance to fill out four spots in the tournament. Point differential is going to be a massively important factor as a tiebreaker if there are more than four teams with the same record. As of now, the Celtics have point differential of 3.5 – a big win over the Skyhawks tonight, also an 8-5 team looking to make the tournament, would go a long way. 

Breaking down the Skyhawks: 

Maine had arguably its best defensive game of the season last night. The tough, physical Skyhawks slowed the game down to a grinding halt, resulting in just 65 total field goal attempts for the Celtics. In response, Maine held College Park to 6-27 from deep, won the rebounding battle 42-34 and matched College Park’s physicality and aggressiveness. 

Chris Silva tallied 15 of College Park’s first 17 points, finishing with 24 and eight rebounds. Silva and Two-Way forward Miles Norris carried the scoring load for the Skyhawks last night, with some help from Jarkel Joiner and Brandon Randolph off the bench. Outside of those four, College Park didn’t score efficiently and only made one 3-pointer. Forcing just one or two of those players out of their comfort zone should give Maine an even bigger edge. 

Keys to the game: 

The new guy: New Two-Way guard Drew Peterson logged an efficient 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes in his Celtics debut. The 6-foot-9 ball-handler flashed the court vision, processing and shooting ability that enticed the Boston front office. The more he settles in, the better he’s going to be. 

Point differential: Along with a win, a slight increase in point differential would all but secure Maine’s spot in the Showcase tournament. If the Celtics are in position to do so, don’t be afraid to tack a few extra points on at the end of the game.