Celtics Clinch Bye With Wild Win In Texas

FRISCO, TX – Thanks to a career-high in scoring and the game-winning free throw from Jordan Walsh, the Maine Celtics edged out the Texas Legends, 110-109 to clinch the #2 seed in the East for the G League Playoffs. Down 10 after three quarters, Maine out-scored Texas 22-11 in the 4th to win the game.

Walsh led Maine (21-13) with a career-best 27 points, adding 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Drew Peterson totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for his sixth double-double. Joe Wieskamp added 15 points and nine boards and Neemias Queta finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Brandon Slater had 12 points, Jared Wilson-Frame had 11 and Scotty Hopson had 10. 

Olivier-Maxence Prosper paced Texas (18-16) with 28 points and seven rebounds. Tony Bradley put up 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks while Erik Stevenson tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Alex Fudge scored 16 points and Tyler Hall had 12, seven rebounds and seven assists. 

Bradley laid one in on Texas’ first possession and Walsh finished a Euro step in transition two trips later to get Maine on the board. In a back-and-forth battle out of the gates, the Celtics shot the ball well from distance while the Legends worked it inside. Tied at 13 at the first timeout, Bradley worked his way up to 11 points in the early going to give Texas a 23-19 lead, and then Stevenson made it a six-point game with a pull-up triple moments later. Peterson and Hopson finished off consecutive trips to get Maine back within a possession, but a 5-0 solo run from Prosper handed the Legends a 33-26 lead after one.  

A three from T.J. Clark pushed Texas’ lead into double digits 34 seconds into the second, then a triple from Fudge stretched the lead to a baker’s dozen, 45-32 a few minutes later as part of a 12-6 Legends run to open the frame. Maine fired back with a 9-2 run after a timeout, with a pair of and-ones in short order from Tony Snell and Walsh cutting the deficit to six. The Legends went on a 7-0 run from there; after starting the game 4-7 from deep, the Celtics went just 1-8 as Texas’ lead extended to 14, 57-43. A three and and-one from Slater brought Maine back within 10 and Peterson cut the deficit to five not long after, but an 8-2 run from the Legends put them ahead 69-58 at halftime. 

A 10-2 run out of the locker room capped off by a deep three from Peterson quickly pulled Maine back within one possession, trailing 71-68. The Legends would slowly rebuild the lead to double digits, but Maine hung around with hustle plays and timely threes, including two from Slater that again brought the Celtics within three, this time 87-84. Same as the second quarter, Texas closed the third quarter on an 8-2 run after Lenard drew a 1-for-3 just ahead of the buzzer, giving them a 98-88 advantage heading into the final frame. 

After a 1-for-2 from Walsh and putback from Queta in the first minute of the fourth, the Celtics were once again within two possessions. Trailing 101-95 with nine-and-a-half to go, Queta finished a layup, then a lob through contact, hitting the free throw to make it 101-100 and shift the momentum towards Maine. A few trips later, Walsh buried a step-back, pump-fake three to tie the game at 105, and it wasn’t long before Peterson floated one in to give Maine its first lead since the four-minute mark of the first quarter. Walsh’s 1-for-2 handed the Celtics a four-point lead, and after that the game went scoreless for nearly three minutes.  

Stevenson eventually hit a runner to bring it back to two and Prosper tied it up at 109 with a minute and six seconds left. Both coaches let the game play out in crunch time, opting against timeouts as the Celtics got the last shot. Walsh attacked the basket as time wound down, elevating midway through the lane, and drawing contact with less than a second on the clock. The rookie stepped to the line and buried his first free throw, and after limiting the Legends to a mere 11 points in the fourth quarter, Maine’s comeback was complete. 

With the win, the Celtics have earned the #2 seed in the East for the G League Playoffs. Maine receives a first-round bye and a home game in the second round. The postseason schedule will be finalized and released in the coming days.