Go-Go Top Celtics In Tightly Contested Game

WASHINGTON, D.C – The Maine Celtics dropped their third-straight game, losing 131-126 to the Capital City Go-Go at Entertainment and Sports Arena. 

Two-Way big Mfiondu Kabengele led Maine (8-6) with 31 points and 11 rebounds on 10-19 from the floor. Marial Shayok posted 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals and shot 7-12 with four made three-pointers. Two-Way guard JD Davison added 24 points and six assists. Kamar Baldwin totaled 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Luka Šamanić had 15 points and four rebounds in his return to action after missing four games. NBA veteran Tony Snell turned in six points and three rebounds in his G League debut. 

Jules Bernard put up 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Capital City (10-6). Kris Dunn stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and seven steals. Two-Way guard Jordan Goodwin logged 18 points and eight rebounds. Quenton Jackson tallied 15 points, six boards and four assists. Trevion Williams, a member of Boston’s 2023 Summer League roster, finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Washington assignee Johnny Davis scored 10 points. 

Bernard drove to his left and finished just ahead of the 10:30 mark for the first bucket of the game. All five Maine starters had gotten on the scoreboard by the midway point of the first, while Bernard and Williams carried the load offensively for Capital City. Soon after checking in, Snell drained his first three as a Celtic to give Maine a 20-13 lead late in the first. The Go-Go would go on an 11-6 run to close out the quarter and take a 27-26 lead after 12 minutes of play. 

After a 2-13 start from long-range in the opening frame, the Celtics began to find success pressuring the paint and getting to the rim. Kabengele scraped the ceiling for a putback dunk that was initially whistled off for interference, but head coach Alex Barlow successfully challenged the call and Maine went ahead 36-35 after the review. Both squads shot above 60 percent from inside the arc in the first half, making for a tight contest as the game developed with the Go-Go maintaining a one-possession lead. Snell buried another three to tie it at 60 in the final minute, but Davis responded from the left wing to put the Go-Go up 63-60 at halftime. 

Across the early minutes of the third quarter, the Celtics went on a 13-4 run to take a 75-70 lead. Following some more back-and-forth, physical minutes, Goodwin caught fire and scored eight-straight points for Capital City to push them back in front, 91-86 late in the third. Davison and Šamanić both hit from deep late in the frame but the Go-Go went on an 11-6 run to close it out and take a 97-93 lead into the fourth quarter. 

The run didn’t stop there for Capital City as they ripped off a 13-4 run to open the quarter and extend the overall run to 24-10, taking a commanding 110-97 lead with 9:26 remaining. The Celtics weren’t done just yet – a 12-2 run from Maine got them within three, 112-109 as the Go-Go went over three minutes without a field goal before Bernard banked in a lefty layup. Snell ran the pick-and-roll to perfection with Kabengele, hitting him for a lob to cut the Celtics’ deficit to one, 118-117 with 1:51 left. It was all Go-Go from there as they responded with a 9-1 run to put the game out of reach, taking a 131-126 victory. 

The Celtics are back at the Expo on Feb. 3 and 4 for a back-to-back against the College Park Skyhawks before traveling to Mississauga, Ontario for a two-game set with Raptors 905.