Maine Celtics Drop Close One To Sioux Falls

PORTLAND, ME – A career night from Malik Williams, coupled with a strong performance from reigning G League Player of the Week Alondes Williams, powered the Sioux Falls Skyforce past the Maine Celtics at the Expo. 

DJ Steward led Maine (4-5) with 27 points on 8-16 shooting, adding four rebounds and five assists. JD Davison turned in 20 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Brandon Slater tied his career-highs of 18 points and six 3-pointers made while swiping two steals. Jordan Walsh finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. 

Malik Williams posted career-highs of 29 points and six made 3-pointers, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked three shots for Sioux Falls (10-1). Alondes Williams recorded 24 points, four rebounds and seven assists while Jamal Cain totaled 16 points and 16 rebounds. Justin Champagnie scored 17 points and Jamaree Bouyea had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Davison snatched Cain’s pass out of the air and took it the distance for a layup to open the scoring. After turning it over on its first two possessions, Malik Williams knocked down an elbow jumper to put Sioux Falls on the board. The Skyforce went up 15-10 by the first timeout thanks to seven quick ones from Malik Williams as it turned into a back-and-forth battle in the opening frame; Slater checked in and hit a pair of threes and Steward sank one of his own, tying the game at 19 for Maine. A couple highlight plays from Walsh helped the Celtics stay neck-and-neck despite a 12-18 start from the field from Sioux Falls, which took a 29-28 lead into the second. 

With Sioux Falls generating paint touches at will and beginning to gain an edge on the glass after an Alondes Williams tip-slam, Blaine Mueller called a timeout with Maine trailing 39-35. The Celtics only made two field goals in the opening five minutes of the second, but their defense held the Skyforce in check. Banks’ layup precluded Slater’s third three of the night, a 5-point spurt that put the Celtics ahead 42-41. For much of the first half, the Celtics and Skyforce battled tooth and nail for any separation; Sioux Falls got ahead by three late in the quarter, but a 10-2 run to close the half gave Maine the advantage at the halfway point, 61-56. 

Apart from Maine’s run to end the first half, the first three quarters were evenly matched, and neither team gained much of an edge. Sioux Falls hit from deep on three straight possessions to build a two-possession lead, but the Celtics cut into the deficit soon after with a 7-2 run that made it a one-point game, 81-80. Slater, who was 6-7 from long-range to that point and Steward, who had tallied five assists, powered another burst for the Celtics, which finished off the third on a 17-7 run to take a 90-86 lead into the final frame. 

The Skyforce scored five unanswered to take a one-point lead in the first two minutes of the fourth – to that point, the game had been mostly balanced, but the “game of runs” cliché was exemplified down the stretch. Davison followed a driving dunk with a tough layup to keep Maine within striking distance, and then Steward went on a solo 5-0 run to nudge the Celtics ahead by five, 102-97 just inside the seven-minute mark. Sioux Falls tied it back up with a 7-2 run, 104-104, with each run getting slightly bigger and more impactful as the back-and-forth exchanges continued into crunch time. Alondes Williams and Steward battled down the stretch, as Steward came up clutch repeatedly tonight playing through an illness. In the end, Alondes Williams threw the last punch, nailing a contested three off the dribble to put the Skyforce up four, 111-107 with 34.3 seconds to go. Maine turned it over on the ensuing inbound and Sioux Falls made the necessary free throws to ice it and collect a hard-fought win. 

The Celtics and Skyforce finish off a two-game set at the Expo on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 1:00 PM. Maine then hosts Windy City on Jan. 24 before welcoming the Cleveland Charge to Portland for a back-to-back on Jan. 26 and 27.