Celtics Demolish Raptors 905 To Sweep Series

Maine Scores 82 Points In First Half; Sweep Pair Of Games In Canada

MISSISSAUGA, ON – Every single Maine Celtic available to play scored and seven finished in double figures, as a scintillating shooting performance carried the team to its highest scoring output and largest margin of victory this season, a 136-95 triumph over Raptors 905. 

JD Davison led Maine (8-7) with 22 points, three rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block for his 18^th double-double of the season as the Celtics completed the back-to-back sweep. DJ Steward turned in 23 points on 9-16 shooting while Jordan Bowden scored a season-high 17 points on 5-6 from deep, adding five rebounds. Jordan Walsh posted 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for his fourth double-double of the year. Drew Peterson had 13 points, six rebounds and 11 assists for the double-double, also his fourth. Kylor Kelley had 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Tony Snell shot 4-6 from downtown for 12 points. Maine set a season high with 36 assists.

Former Celtic Jaysean Paige led the Raptors (5-10) with 20 points. Mouhamadou Gueye tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, Kira Lewis Jr. and Javon Freeman-Liberty both scored 13 and Kobi Simmons chipped in 12 points. 

Snell was left open on the right wing, left wing, and the top of the key on three of Maine’s first four possessions, splashing home a triple on each of them. The Celtics’ run built to 13-0 out of the gates before Gueye finished off a fast break with a dunk. Snell canned his fourth three in as many attempts, then Slater came off the bench and hit one to help Maine out to a commanding 23-4 lead. Simmons scored seven to get the 905 going, carrying his strong performance to close last night’s game into tonight. Maine’s hot start continued all the way through the opening frame, shooting 68% from the field and 7-12 from deep as a team with 13 assists on 17 made field goals. On the other end, they held the Raptors without a three and to 33% shooting, resulting in a 43-19 lead after one. 

The constant rim pressure and pick-and-roll threat provided by Davison generated easy offense for the Celtics in the second; the second year-pro went into halftime with 15 points and nine assists. When they could’ve relaxed, Maine kept the pedal to the metal, holding a 59-36 lead when head coach Blaine Mueller called timeout just shy of the quarter’s halfway point. Bowden poured in a quick nine on 3-3 from long-range and Paige gave the 905 a spark with 10 points in the second, but the Raptors’ inability to defend the 3-point line prevented them from making a run of any sort. Davison dropped a behind the back dime to Banks, then finished one himself on the next trip near the end of the half as the Celtics coasted into the locker room up 82-52. Maine’s hot shooting never trailed off, as they shot 67.3% from the field and 11-19 from downtown with 24 assists as the team fell one shy of its all-time high for points in a first half. 

Davison and Freeman-Liberty traded threes to open the third quarter before a barrage of buckets at the rim picked Maine up right where they left off in the first half. With Davison, Kelley and others feeding off the space created on the interior by Maine’s scorching-hot perimeter shooting, the lead eventually ballooned to 32 points, 95-63. Kelley and Walsh finished off fast breaks in short order to quickly get the lead up to 40 points, putting the game totally out of reach by the late stages of the quarter. The Celtics already had seven players in double figures as they went into the fourth leading 114-74. 

Still feeling it despite the large deficit, Paige notched another 10-point quarter in the fourth to keep the 905 afloat. It was Steward’s turn to take over for Maine, getting himself north of the 20-point mark with 10 points in the final frame, as the Celtics maintained a big lead and cruised to the finish line. Maine outscored the 905 in all four quarters, shot 58.3% from the field with a season-high 36 assists and made 18 threes in a 41-point victory.  

The Celtics will be back at the Portland Expo on Friday, Feb. 2 to take on the Grand Rapids Gold. Maine hits the road again for a Sunday matinée with the Osceola Magic on Feb. 4.