GAME PREVIEW: Celtics Face Road Test Against Knicks

WESTCHESTER, N.Y. - The Maine Celtics (6-7) hit the road for one game against the Westchester Knicks (8-5) on Friday night.

Maine is looking to bounce back after losing back-to-back games at home to College Park and Long Island. The Celtics are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings and the Knicks are 4th. Westchester enters Friday's matchup after suffering a narrow 117-114 loss at the hands of Raptors 905 on Wednesday. Chuma Okeke led the Knicks with a career-best 30 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

Friday's game will feature a battle between two of the top scorers in the NBA G League. T.J. Warren is sixth in the G League in scoring, leading the Knicks with 24.6 ppg in seven regular season games. Maine's JD Davison is 11th with 22.8 ppg through 12 regular season contests. Davison is also 8th in assists with 7.5 per game.

Westchester is the best rebounding team in the league, averaging over 50 rebounds per game led by Moses Brown's 13.8 boards per game. Brown posted a monster, double-double on Wednesday against 905 with 18 points and 23 rebounds. Westchester also leads the league in scoring, averaging 120.0 points per game through the Tip-Off Tournament and Regular season. The Knicks won the G League's Winter Showcase for the second consecutive season back in December.

Celtics Two-Way Player Drew Peterson is expected to return to the lineup on Friday for the first time since Peterson suffered a concussion against Indiana on January 7 has missed the last six games. Maine will be without Baylor Scheierman, who continues to be on assignment with Boston. Westchester's Two-Way Players are Kevin McCullar Jr., former Maine Celtic Matt Ryan, and Jacob Toppin.

Friday's game will feature the debut of recently acquired Maine Celtics James Banks III, who returns to Maine after suiting up for the Celtics one year ago. Banks, a 6-10 center, joins Maine after playing overseas in Greece. He played a big role in Maine’s run to the NBA G League Finals last season, playing in 44 games for the Celtics during the 2023-24 campaign. In 44 games with Maine, Banks averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per game.

Newcomers have stepped up in a big way for Maine in a busy month of January. DJ Rodman has provided an instant boost to the Celtics, who's averaging 5.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in eight games. Rodman scored a career-high 19 points against College Park on January 18, and snagged a career-best 17 rebounds on January 19 against Long Island.

WHERE TO WATCH: Friday night's game tips-off at 7 p.m. at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The game will broadcast live here.