Game Preview: Celtics Host Swarm in Back-to-Back

PORTLAND, Maine. - The Maine Celtics will look to get back on track when they host the Greensboro Swarm in back-to-back games this weekend at the Portland Expo.

This is the first of four meetings with Greensboro this season. Maine went 3-1 against Greensboro last season, including 1-1 at the Portland Expo.

The Celtics (4-6) are fifth in the East division of the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament and have a tough test in front of them with the Swarm, who at 8-2 currently hold the best record in the East and sit atop the Showcase standings. The first 14 games of the season will build towards a winner-takes-all tournament at the NBA G League Winter Showcase in December.

Maine returns home after a tough, four-game road trip where the Celtics went 1-3 overall. Maine lost their last two games to College Park, despite a career-high 46 points from JD Davison in Wednesday's losing effort. 46 points is the fifth most points scored by an individual in a single game in franchise history. Davison went 16-26 from the floor and 4-7 from deep. Entering the weekend, Davison leads the G League in points per game (27.6) and is top three in assists (9.3).

Jordan Schakel added 19 points in the loss, Maine's third straight. Davison also broke another franchise record in Wednesday's game. The Two-Way Player had two steals, putting him at 110 for his career, which passed Chris Wright for first all-time. Davison is also the franchise's leader in scoring and in assists.

SCOUTING REPORT: Greensboro comes to Portland after suffering their largest loss of the season, 134-92 to Raptors 905 on Thursday. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Swarm. Jaylen Sims led the Swarm with 18 points and Marcus Garrett added 16 in the loss where Greensboro shot just 37.5% from the floor. The Swarm are led by first-year Head Coach DJ Bakker. 10 players average nine points or more for the Swarm this season, led by Sims' 18.7 points per game. The Swarm recently added Isaiah Wong as a Two-Way Player. Wong previously played seven games with the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 26.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. Wong has not appeared in a game yet for Greensboro. The other Two-Way Players for the Swarm are KJ Simpson and Moussa Diabate. Diabate was selected by the Clippers in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft. Simpson was selected by the Hornets in the second round (42nd overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft.

"Greensboro is a really good team, especially defensively. One of the best defensive teams in the league. They do it with physical toughness, ball pressure and shifts so we have to be ready to execute," said Maine Head Coach Tyler Lashbrook.

The Swarm are also one of the more experienced teams in the G League, with four returners on the roster from last year's team (MJ Walker Jr., Terrel Brown Jr., Marcus Garrett, and Jaylen Sims). Sims has played with the Swarm since the 2022-23 season. Forward Reggie Perry also boasts experience in the NBA with Brooklyn, Portland and Indiana. Celtics fans may remember Keyontae Johnson when he returns to the Expo this weekend. Johnson played for the OKC Blue last season as a Two-Way Player and is averaging 14.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game with the Swarm this season.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: Greensboro ranks third in the NBA G league in total rebounding, averaging nearly 50 boards per game. The gritty team is eighth in defensive rebounding and sixth in offensive rebounding. That will be put to test against the Celtics, who have consistently ranked inside the top three in the league in offensive rebounding this season, averaging around 16 per contest.

THE LONG BALL: Maine ranks seventh in the G League in 3-point shots attempted, currently averaging over 43 shots from deep per game. Greensboro is last in the G League, attempting just 27 per game. Greensboro's MJ Walker is one of the best shooters from three in the G League, currently connecting on 51.4% of his shots from beyond the arc.

CHARITY STRIPE: The Swarm are among the best in the G League in getting to the free throw line, and are successful at converting on their trips to the charity stripe. Greensboro shoots just under 19 free throws a game (2nd in G League) and shoots 75% as a team.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: Maine continues to take care of the ball at an elite rate. The Celtics average under 14 turnovers per game, which currently ranks them second in the G League.

WHERE TO WATCH: Maine tips-off on both Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. against Greensboro at the Portland Expo. Saturday's game will stream live on NBAGLeague.com and will broadcast live on NBC Sports Boston. Sunday's game will stream on the Roku Sports Channel and also air live on NBC Sports Boston.