Maine Celtics Stopped By Bulls

PORTLAND, ME – The Maine Celtics defense limited Windy City to just 38.6% shooting and 8-31 from beyond the arc, but the Bulls battled through and got the stops they needed down the stretch to earn a hard-fought victory, 101-96. 

Adama Sanogo led the Bulls (3-8) with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Quenton Jackson tallied 21 points and eight rebounds and Chris Clemons added 16 points and five assists. Henri Drell totaled 14 points and eight rebounds. 

JD Davison put up his 16^th double-double of the season with 24 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists to lead Maine (5-6). DJ Steward, the only Celtic to join Davison in double figures, added 19 points and six rebounds. 

Sanogo finished off the roll with a thunderous slam to kick things off, while Maine took over two minutes to get on the board before Davison broke the ice. The rookie Connecticut center scored five of Windy City’s first seven as they built a 7-2 lead out of the gates, with both teams focusing on creating shots out of the pick-and-roll as Sanogo and James Banks III established their interior presences. Kylor Kelley finished off a pair of lobs and Carey hit a three, then got fouled on a three and sank the ensuing free throw to put Maine up five, 16-11 as part of an 8-0 run. Maine held Windy City to just 34.8% shooting, giving them a 27-22 lead going into the second. 

The Bulls opened the second on a 10-3 run before Snell quelled it with a corner three; the Celtics quickly went back in front after a brief Windy City lead. The Celtics maintained a one-possession lead for much of the quarter, still out-shooting the Bulls by a wide margin, though turnovers were beginning to prove costly. Bowden nailed his first triple as a Celtic on his third try, putting Maine up 46-42. An and-one from Jackson in the final 10 seconds of the half made it 50-48 heading into the locker room. Windy City shot well below 40% from the field but forced Maine into nine turnovers and scored 14 points off them to make up the efficiency deficit. 

Jordan Schakel started the second half with his first three of the night, then Tony Snell dimed up Banks for an easy dunk to get the Celtics off and running in the third. Maine opened an eight-point lead, 60-52, but Windy City fired back with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 63. Scottie Lindsey’s tip-in nudged the Bulls back in front for the sixth lead change of the night, and they carried a narrow advantage into the final frame, 74-73. 

In his return to the Expo, former Celtic Marvin Smith Jr. canned a triple to tie the game at 77 early as the final frame got underway. With the Bulls ahead 82-78 and less than seven minutes to go, Davison drove through the lane and converted a tough layup to pull the Celtics within two. Windy City’s lead hovered between two and four throughout the quarter – Maine clawed within a possession multiple times but was unable to retake the lead down the stretch with Jackson, Sanogo and Drell countering every attempt at a run. When Banks fouled out with 1:36 left, Sanogo split the ensuing free throws to put the Bulls up 91-86. From there, Davison sank a clutch pull-up three to make it a four-point game, but Windy City warded off each attempt at a Celtics comeback. Sanogo’s free throws with 16 seconds left put it away as the Bulls earned their third victory of the regular season. 

The Celtics finish off a seven-game homestand with a back-to-back against the Cleveland Charge on Jan. 26 and 27.