Game Preview - Maine at Oklahoma City - Dec. 29, 2023

Game details:         

Matchup: Maine Celtics (1-0) at Oklahoma City Blue (0-1) 

Location: Paycom Center; Oklahoma City, Ok.  

Tip-off: 8:00 PM EST       

Streaming: NBAGLeague.com 

Fresh off a nail-biting season-opening win two days ago, the Maine Celtics and Oklahoma City Blue are back at it to finish off a two-game set in OKC. 

The Dec. 27 matchup between these teams marked the first meeting since Dec. 6, 2018, a 108-96 win for the Blue at the Expo. Vitto Brown scored 20 points, Nick King had 12 points and 10 rebounds and P.J Dozier dropped 18 for Maine, while Abdul Gaddy – a former Red Claw and 10-year veteran who still plays for the Blue to this day – had 17 points and 10 assists for Oklahoma City. Including Wednesday’s game, the Celtics are 3-1 all-time against the Blue with all three wins coming on the road. 

Breaking down the Blue: 

One thing was made clear during the first matchup between the Celtics and Blue; neither side is afraid of a shootout. 

There were 44 total transition possessions via Synergy, and the sides combined for 83 3-point attempts – Maine finished with a whopping 102 field goal attempts as a team. Six players scored in double-figures. Though the Celtics only shot 32.6% from distance, the sheer volume of attempts allowed them to outshoot the Blue from beyond the arc as six players made at least one triple. When the Celtics are getting shots up at that high of a rate and winning the turnover battle (17-12), it becomes extremely difficult for defenses to limit one of the league’s best offenses. Maine controlling possession and pace has been a common theme in its victories so far this year. 

Keys to the game: 

Limit Lindy: Easier said than done, but limiting Oklahoma City Two-Way guard Lindy Waters III would be massively impactful. Waters sank five of the team’s 13 threes en route to 26 points and only two other Blue scored more than 15 points. Shifting the likes of Ousmane Dieng, Keyontae Johnson and Hunter Maldonado from secondary or off-ball scorers into primary shot creators could easily throw Oklahoma City out of rhythm. 

Battle of the boards: A frequently used key is back again. Maine handled the Blue on the boards last time out (55-45) and its advantage in second chance points (26-15) were huge factors in swinging the game. JD Davison and Drew Peterson both grabbed 10 rebounds and Kylor Kelley and Jordan Walsh had nine – great contribution on the glass from across the positional spectrum.