Celtics Cruise Past Motor City

PORTLAND, ME –Kylor Kelley led the Maine Celtics with his first double-double of the season and a career-high in scoring, edging them past the Motor City Cruise, 106-96.  

Kelley led Maine (10-9) with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. JD Davison added 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Drew Peterson tallied 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists and DJ Steward logged 13 and five rebounds. Jordan Bowden scored 15 points. 

Buddy Boeheim put up 23 points and 10 rebounds to pace Motor City (10-9). Jayce Johnson had 17 points and 16 rebounds and Malcolm Cazalon chipped in 16 points and five assists. Nathan Knight contributed 15 points and ShawnDre Jones registered 14 points. 

Jones hit a running pull-up to get the day started, and long after Peterson drew a foul and sank the 1-for-2 to get Maine on the board. Davison knocked down a pair of triples as the Celtics fired out of the gates, making four of its first five 3-point attempts en route to a 16-8 lead by the first timeout break. Motor City tied it at 20 by the next stoppage, though Davison had controlled all facets of the game from the jump and collected eight points, four rebounds and three assists in his first eight minutes of action. The Celtics ended the first on a 13-4 run to take a 33-24 lead into the second after limiting the Cruise to 8-23 shooting in the opening frame. 

The Celtics held Motor City scoreless for nearly four minutes to begin the second, building the lead up to 14 points in the early stages of the quarter. Maine held serve from there until halftime, with Davison’s effortless rim pressure and all-around impact carrying the Celtics into the locker room. By halftime, every Celtic to check into the game had recorded at least three points and Davison had amassed 16 himself, contributing to a 57-42 lead at the break. 

Motor City pulled within 11 in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Celtics responded to get the lead back to 15 before the Cruise signaled for a timeout down 67-52. With the pace slowing down, Jones worked the mid-range for Motor City as they began to slowly chip away at Maine’s lead. After whittling it down to 10, Johnson’s 1-for-2 trimmed it to single digits, but Kelley hit a 1-for-2 of his own on the next trip down the floor to make it 81-71 in favor of Maine after three. 

The Cruise cut it close again at the start of the fourth – Boeheim hit a contested 13-footer from the baseline to finish off a 14-7 run, getting Motor City within three, 88-85. Kelley and Steward controlled the final frame for the Celtics, helping them to an 8-0 run that rebuilt the lead to three possessions and swung the momentum back to their side. The run extended to 15-7 as time wound down, effectively icing the game for Maine. Bowden hit his third three of the quarter in as many attempts to put it away in the final minute, sealing a bounce-back victory for the Celtics. 

The Celtics face the Windy City Bulls at home on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 7:00 PM before an eight-day off period for NBA All-Star festivities.  Maine fans can catch JD Davison in the G League Up Next Game on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1:30 PM, streaming live on NBAGLeague.com, the G League App, on the NBA G League’s YouTube channel, and the NBA App. Jordan Jackson will be participating in the NBA G League AT&T Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2:00 PM.