NBA G League Winter Showcase Preview - Dec. 19, 2023 vs. Austin
By Maine Celtics Staff /December 19, 2023
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Game details:
Matchup: Maine Celtics (8-6) vs. Austin Spurs (6-8)
Location: Orange County Convention Center; Orlando, Fla.
Tip-off: 1:30 PM EST
Streaming: NBA TV
For the first time ever, the G League Winter Showcase has arrived in Orlando. The Maine Celtics are slated for a pair of games against Western Conference foes during its trip to the Sunshine State, the first coming this afternoon against the Austin Spurs, the San Antonio Spurs’ G League affiliate.
The Celtics and Spurs faced off frequently in the early-2010s, but it’s been over five years since these teams last met. Maine and Austin faced off twice in the year of 2018, with Maine claiming a 111-108 win off the back of 32 points from Guerschon Yabusele and 22 from Trey Davis on Jan. 15. Later that year on Nov. 23, the Spurs took a 109-104 win despite a 26-point, 5-steal performance from P.J. Dozier. The two squads haven’t crossed paths since.
Breaking down the Spurs:
The Spurs’ fast-paced offense ranked 14th in the league during the Showcase, and its 54.4% eFG was sixth. On the flip side, Austin was dead last in defense and bottom-10 in rebounding percentage. The Spurs rely heavily on assignment player Blake Wesley, Two-Way forward Dominick Barlow and the newly acquired Two-Way guard David Duke Jr. being able to leverage their talent and athletic advantage to outscore the opponent on a nightly basis. Besides those three, only Boston University product Javante McCoy, Kaleb Johnson, and Erik Stevenson average north of 11 points per game.
The lone one-and-done player in Notre Dame history, Wesley hones his point guard skills and floor game on assignment with Austin. Standing 6-foot-3, the 25th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is a natural scorer at 15.6 points per contest on 56.2% true shooting while also leading the team with 5.1 assists and grabbing 4.8 rebounds. The Wesley-JD Davison matchup has the potential to provide plenty of highlights on both ends.
Duke Jr., who started the season as a Delaware Blue Coat but received a call-up with a Two-Way deal from San Antonio last week, has averaged 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two appearances with the Spurs. Rookie Two-Way center Charles Bediako puts up 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and Sidy Cissoko, the 44th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the G League Ignite program, adds 9.8 points 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Barlow, a one-time Bridgton Academy commit that opted instead to play pre-draft basketball in the Overtime Elite program, leads the Spurs in scoring at 25.7 points per game – a 16.2-point increase from his rookie season – and is one of the most well-rounded big men in the league. The second-year pro has a pair of 30-point games under his belt along with four double-doubles, and he averages a team-leading 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 stocks (steals+blocks) per night.
Keys to the game:
Battle of the boards: The Celtics should have a huge advantage on the glass tonight – Maine ranked sixth in rebounding during the Showcase while the Spurs were 22nd. James Banks III was 18th among players with at least 10 games played in offensive rebounding percentage (10.6%) and Kylor Kelley wasn’t far behind at 7.7%. No player on the Spurs reached either of those numbers on the offensive boards.
Make the Spurs bend to our style: Austin plays very fast, and Maine plays slowly – the Celtics finished the Showcase 27th in pace. Forcing the Spurs to adapt to a slower pace and limit possessions for Austin’s efficient offense will give Maine a significant edge.
Don’t let the warm weather get to you: I can say for certain that the warm Florida sun puts me in a relaxed mood – however, that may not be beneficial for the Celtics out on the court. It’s a business trip, after all.
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