Baldwin's Triple-Double Lifts Maine To Huge OT Win

OSHKOSH, WI – After faltering in an overtime contest six days prior, Kamar Baldwin came through in the clutch to help the Maine Celtics earn a 119-114 overtime victory over the Wisconsin Herd. 

Baldwin recorded his first-career triple double, tallying 23 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead Maine (17-11); Baldwin’s triple-double is the fourth this season for Maine (Davison x2, Valentine). Two-Way big Mfiondu Kabengele posted 25 points and 13 rebounds and Luka Šamanić put up 30 points and 10 rebounds for his 21^st double-double of the season. Tony Snell finished with 11 points and seven rebounds and Jacob Young had 10 points in his Maine debut. Scottie Lindsey had eight points and six rebounds. 

Elijah Hughes led Wisconsin (9-19) with 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Deividas Sirvydis added 18 points while Paris Bass and Iverson Molinar both had 17 points. Rob Edwards scored 15 points and Alex Antetokounmpo logged 12 points. 

Šamanić laid one in for the game-opening bucket, and Molinar answered for the Herd with a seven-footer on the next trip. The Celtics took a small lead, but a couple of early turnovers helped the Herd go ahead 11-9 on an Edwards three. Wisconsin built a 12-0 run before Baldwin connected with Kabengele on a lob to end Maine’s dry spell. Lindsey and Reeves kicked off Maine’s counterpunch, and Marvin Smith Jr. hit a fadeaway from inside the paint to give the Celtics a 23-22 lead. Wisconsin quickly got back in front late in the first and were ahead 29-28 through the first 12 minutes. 

Molinar and Snell each made a three early in the second, and Hughes heated up in a hurry for Wisconsin, with his four-point play giving the Herd a 42-36 lead. The Celtics struggled hit from range and as a result, couldn’t get much going offensively outside of Šamanić’s three-level scoring. Wisconsin’s lead grew to as much as 12 before Young buried a triple to get Maine back within single digits; Kabengele put back Young’s missed layup just ahead of the halftime buzzer, cutting Wisconsin’s lead to 64-58. 

The Celtics slowly chipped into the lead to start the third, opening with a 6-2 run to get within two, 66-64. Maine’s dominant big man duo of Kabengele and Šamanić left their mark on the third, with both tallying 20 points and nine boards before the quarter ended. Reeves’ turnaround stretched the Celtics’ lead to seven and Young continued to give quality minutes in his first day with the team. The two sides traded leads late in the third, with Wisconsin taking a 91-89 advantage into the fourth. 

The back-and-forth battle continued into the final frame, and the Celtics led by just two points, 100-98 with 6:54 left in the game as Baldwin approached a triple-double. He’d grab his 10^th rebound soon after to record his first-career triple-double and the fourth for Maine this season. Sirvydis hit a pair of layups and a right wing three, helping the Herd to a 9-0 run that gave them a five-point lead. Always ready in the clutch, Baldwin hit a hesitation dribble into a layup and them dimed up Šamanić for the game-tying three in response to Wisconsin’s push. The Herd got back in front again, but this time Snell came through with a three to tie it at 112. Neither team scored in the final 40 seconds as Hughes’ buzzer-beater fell short and the game headed to overtime. 

In their second overtime game in three contests, the Celtics entered the untimed period with a target score of 119. Baldwin and Edwards traded pull-ups in the mid-range to start, and Lindsey canned a wide-open trey to put Maine ahead, 117-114. None other than Baldwin stepped up and hit the game-winner, dropping in a floater to give the Celtics a hard-fought overtime victory. 

The Celtics will complete a two-game set with the Herd on Friday at 8:00 PM EST before heading to Chicago to take on the Windy City Bulls.