Celtics Clinch Playoff Spot With Win

PORTLAND, ME – With a 122-118 victory over the Westchester Knicks, and losses by Motor City and Cleveland, the Maine Celtics have officially clinched a berth in the 2024 G League playoffs. 

Drew Peterson stuffed the stat sheet for Maine (19-12) with 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. DJ Steward recorded his ninth-straight game with 20-plus points, scoring 21 points on 8-15 shooting. Brandon Slater tallied a career-high 21 points on 7-12 shooting (4-9 from deep). Jordan Walsh posted 19 points and nine rebounds. 

JD Davison logged his 21^st double-double with 17 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the only player in Maine franchise history with 21 double-doubles in a season. 

Duane Washington Jr. scored a game-high 40 points for Westchester (9-21). Jacob Toppin registered 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. De’Vion Harmon added 11 points and Obadiah Noel put up 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. 

Washington worked inside for a layup to open the scoring, and Walsh got Maine on the board with a three the next trip down the floor. The Knicks took an early 12-8 lead after a barrage of threes from both sides, taking a 15-12 lead by the first timeout break after another triple from Toppin. Walsh later buried his third long-ball of the night before Davison scored six of Maine’s next eight, nudging the Celtics ahead 26-25. The 3-point shootout evolved into a battle on the interior for the remainder of the first, with the early advantage leaning towards Westchester – the Knicks outscored the Celtics 11-6 to close the first and take a 36-32 lead into the second. 

The script flipped for Maine as soon as the second quarter began – a 15-5 run to open the quarter put them up by a half-dozen, 47-41. Davison put his driving and finishing ability on full display in the second, dicing Westchester’s defense and getting up to 15 points on seven made shots before the half closed. Slater came through with a trio of timely buckets; a three, an and-one, and another three-ball, pushing Maine’s lead to a dozen 62-50 late in the frame and giving himself a team-high 17 points at the break. After a couple quick buckets from the Knicks to close the quarter, the Celtics took a 69-58 lead into the locker room. 

Maine kicked off the third quarter with a 7-0 run, maintaining the energy and aggression that helped them build a double-digit lead in the first half. The Knicks eventually found their level and played the Celtics evenly for most of the third but going 0-9 from long-range prevented them from making any sort of run. Maine’s second unit held serve for the starters, keeping their foot on the gas as Maine rolled to a 101-84 lead after three behind 21 points apiece from Peterson and Slater. 

Steward scored seven of Maine’s first nine in the fourth, extending the lead to 20 points, 110-90 with eight minutes and 30 seconds to go. The Celtics offense kept on firing all the way through the final buzzer with Slater’s career performance and Peterson’s steady efficiency leading the charge. Toppin, Washington, and the rest of the Knicks fought to make one last push in the closing minutes, but Maine warded it off to collect its second victory in as many games. 

The Celtics are slated to round out the regular season on a three-game road trip; first, a two-game set against the College Park Skyhawks on March 26 and 28, then the regular season finale on March 30 versus the Texas Legends.