Celtics Take Down Gold In Defensive Battle

PORTLAND, ME – A high-scoring performance from Dalano Banton and a strong defensive effort from the team, where they forced 20 turnovers and held the Gold to 38.6% shooting, helped the Celtics pull out a win over Grand Rapids, 90-83. 

Dalano Banton led Maine (9-7) with 31 points and six rebounds on assignment from Boston. Jordan Walsh tallied 14 points and nine rebounds while Kylor Kelley added 12 points and nine rebounds. JD Davison notched 10 points and eight assists. 

Jalen Pickett posted 24 points and 11 rebounds for Grand Rapids (7-7). Hunter Tyson added 21 points and six rebounds and Au’Diese Toney had 18 points, six rebounds and three steals. Jamorko Pickett scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. 

Walsh collected a couple of offensive boards as the Celtics came up short on their opening possessions, and after nearly two minutes of scoreless play to begin the contest, Pickett broke the ice with a free throw line pull-up. Banton and Peterson each canned a three to get Maine started, edging them ahead at the outset before the Gold got Pickett’s back-to-the-basket game going, leading to an 8-0 run that gave them a 10-6 advantage. The Celtics evened it back up soon after, tying the game at 14. Both teams played great defense in the opening frame and neither allowed the opposing offense to develop any rhythm. Maine’s only turnover of the quarter came on a shot clock violation just prior to the buzzer, though a 22.7% mark from the field handed the Gold a 16-14 edge going into the second. 

The scoring picked up in a hurry in the second – the Celtics put up 12 points in just over three-and-a-half minutes, taking a 30-21 lead by the first timeout of the quarter. Kelley made his presence known inside, drawing heavy attention from the defense whenever he rolled into the paint against the smaller Gold lineup. Maine’s defense was very strong in the first half, generating five steals, three blocks and getting tons of deflections. Equally imposing at the rim on defense, Kelley fortified the paint while Banton, Davison and Steward defended Pickett at the point of attack. Over the course of the quarter, the Celtics outscored the Gold 31-17, shooting 55.6% from the field in the second to balance out an ice-cold first. At the half, Maine led 45-33. 

A quick nine points out of the locker room for the Gold made it a six-point game within the first two minutes of the third. The Celtics quickly regained control, running the offense primarily through Banton as he nailed a triple to give himself 18 points. The game endured another scoreless streak of nearly two-minutes before Richardson ended the dry spell with an easy layup, triggering a Maine timeout up 63-51. Grand Rapids ripped off a 10-2 run to pull within four as the quarter wound down, but a corner three from Snell off a scramble for the offensive rebounds gave the Celtics a 68-61 lead heading into the final frame. 

Another run from the Gold, this one 7-2, made it a one-possession game once again. A three from Pickett gave Grand Rapids its first lead since early in the second quarter, 71-70, building the run to 26-7 spanning back to late in the third. Maine tied it up at 77 when Walsh dropped the hammer in transition, though the Gold would retake the lead with a triple from Pickett a few minutes later. Walsh countered with a three of his own to knot it back up, then Banton nudged Maine in front, 82-80 with a pair of free throws just inside the two-minute mark. Numerous clutch plays and free throws from Banton iced it down the stretch, highlighted by a driving and-1 with a minute and change remaining. With Maine up seven inside a minute after Davison corralled a steal and threw it down on the other end, it turned into a game of free throws from there. The Gold came up short on last-ditch attempts to make it close, but Maine held on in the end to earn their third-straight victory. 

The Celtics are off for a quick trip to central Florida to take on the Osceola Magic on Sunday, Feb. 4 before returning home for a two-game set with the Motor City Cruise on Feb. 8 and 10.