Celtics Edge Swarm Thanks To Davison's 38 Points

GREENSBORO, NC – The Maine Celtics edged out the Greensboro Swarm, 105-102 to collect a third-straight victory behind a career night from Two-Way guard JD Davison. 

Davison led Maine (3-2) with a career-high 38 points, adding four rebounds, eight assists and a career-best 14 made field goals. DJ Steward added 16 points, three rebounds and nine assists and Two-Way center Neemias Queta notched 12 points, five rebounds and four blocks in his Maine debut. Tony Snell tallied eight points and nine rebounds. 

Terrell Brown Jr. put up 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists to pace Greensboro (2-4). Jaylen Sims turned in 20 points, six rebounds and four assists and Trevon Scott had 13 points and four rebounds. R.J. Hunter had 14 points, five assists and three steals and Two-Way guard Amari Bailey logged 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Sims and Hunter each knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple to get Greensboro started, and Davison banked in a handing layup for Maine’s first points. The Swarm jumped out to a 15-7 lead by the seven-minute mark with Sims and Brown Jr. commanding an offense that made six of its first eight field goals while the Celtics started 3-8. Maine’s shooting was a bit cold out of the gates as it went down 25-16, but a 5-0 run tightened it back up. Queta hit a 1-for-2 for his first points as a Maine Celtic before Bailey raced down the court for a layup in the closing seconds that put the Swarm ahead 31-23 after 12 minutes. 

Greensboro held off the Celtics for a couple minutes to open the second before Davison took over. Scoring eight points in the quarter and finishing the half with 14 and six assists, Davison fueled an 8-0 run that brought the Celtics within three, 38-35. Snell sank a pair of threes to give Maine its first lead of the night as the offense continued to find its footing. Brown Jr. buried an 11-footer with 5.8 seconds left in the half to make it 52-50 in favor of Maine heading into the locker room. 

Sims stepped into a catch-and-shoot three to give Greensboro the lead back, kicking off the second half in the same way as the first. The Swarm held a two-possession lead for most of the quarter as Davison carried the Celtics offense with 23 points and six assists at the midpoint of the third. Maine committed a few costly turnovers that helped Greensboro stretch the lead to six, but a 13-7 run over the last 4:40 of the quarter to cut the deficit to two, 80-78 after three. 

A C.J. Elleby triple quickly put the Celtics down five at the beginning of the fourth, but Maine fired back with an 8-0 run to take an 86-83 lead. Trading leads back and forth throughout the final frame, Davison and Steward made clutch play after clutch play to keep the Celtics alive. A 15-point fourth quarter from Davison ultimately gave Maine the edge, but the Swarm gave themselves multiple chances down the stretch. Sims drove to the rim for a pair of buckets that brought the Swarm within a possession as time wound down, but the Celtics defense got the stop they needed in the end. Sims’ tying 3-point attempt fell short at the buzzer, and Maine collected its third-straight victory. 

The Celtics round out a two-game set with the Swarm on Friday at 2:00 PM.