GAME PREVIEW: Maine Looks to Bounce Back in Motor City

DETROIT, Mich. - The Maine Celtics will look to bounce back on Sunday afternoon against the Motor City Cruise after the Celtics faltered in their first game of the regular season.

Maine (0-1) tips off against Motor City (1-0) at 1:00 p.m. EST at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. The Celtics lost their road regular season opener on Friday night at the hands of Grand Rapids, 120-103. The Celtics connected on 46% of their shots from deep in that game, but dug themselves in a whole early on that they couldn't overcome.

The bright spot in that loss was a career performance from Ron Harper Jr., who tallied a new career-high 32 points on 11-16 shooting. Maine's bench outscored the starters against the Gold, as Jay Scrubb also poured in 18 points off the bench. The Celtics were without Two-Way Players Drew Peterson and Anton Watson in the loss. Donald Carey Jr. and Eric Gaines also did not play due to injury.

This will be the second time Maine and Motor City have squared off. The Celtics defeated the Cruise 121-104 in the second game of the Winter Showcase in Orlando, Florida. Boston Celtics assignee Baylor Scheierman led all scorers with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in that one, and is expected to play for Maine again on Sunday. Maine finished the Tip-Off Tournament portion of the 2024 season with an 8-8 record.

Motor City enters Sunday's game after earning an impressive 138-117 win over the Westchester Knicks to kick off the regular season. Fresh off their second consecutive Showcase Cup Championship, the Cruise put a halt to any momentum Westchester may have had as Piston's Two-Way forward Cole Swider led Motor City with 29 points. Lamar Stevens and Javante McCoy each added 21 points in the win.

Swider has proven to be one of the top shooters from distance in the G League. The Pistons Two-Way Player buried 58 three-pointers during the Tip-Off Tournament, the third most in the league. Maine will also have to work to keep Cameron Martin off the boards. The Cruise big man is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game, fifth most in the G League through the first 16 games.

TURNOVER BATTLE: Maine finished the Tip-Off Tournament as the best team in the G League in turnovers, averaging less than 14 per game (13.8). The Celtics will look to get back on track in that category after the team turned the ball over 18 times in the loss to Grand Rapids.

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT: Baylor Scheierman is expected to be on assignment with Maine for the first game of their road trip. Drew Peterson will be away with Boston and Anton Watson will be out due to injury. Don Carey Jr. (injury) will still be out for Maine and Eric Gaines is questionable (injury).

THE ROAD AHEAD: Following this two-game road trip, Maine returns home for its annual New Year’s Eve matinee at 12 p.m. vs. Texas on Dec. 31. Tickets can be found here.

WHERE TO WATCH: Sunday's game will tip-off at 1 p.m. in Detroit, Michigan and will stream live on NBAGLeague.com.