Celtics Survive Down The Stretch To Beat 905

PORTLAND, ME– The Maine Celtics ripped off a 12-0 run in crunch time to pull away and defeat Raptors 905, 106-100 to end a three-game losing skid. 

Luka Šamanić led Maine (9-5) with 24 points on 10-14 shooting from the field, adding 16 rebounds and three assists. Two-Way player Mfiondu Kabengele posted 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Kamar Baldwin notched 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in his first start at the Expo. Denzel Valentine finished with 14 points, four rebounds and five assists and Marvin Smith Jr. scored 11 points off the bench. Two-Way player JD Davison logged nine points and five assists. 

Toronto Raptors assignee Justin Champagie led Raptors 905 (5-8) with 25 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which were offensive. Two-Way player Jeff Dowtin Jr. had 23 points and five rebounds. Two-Way player Ron Harper Jr. and Reggie Perry each tallied 13 points. 

Valentine drained a side-step three as the shot clock expired on Maine’s first possession to open the scoring. The 905 went over two and a half minutes before they broke the ice on a three from Champagnie. Smith hit a pair of triples that jumpstarted Maine’s offense, and though Celtics struggled to finish inside early on, a scorching-hot start from beyond the arc balanced things out.  Šamanić’s tip-in just before time expired gave the Celtics a 27-22 lead after one, with Champagnie scoring 11 of the 905’s 22 points. 

Eric Demers checked in to start the second and promptly took a charge before knocking down a three that stretched Maine’s lead to nine, 33-24 before the 905 could respond. The Celtics’ shooting never cooled down after the hot start, sitting at 8-12 from deep and 50 percent from the field midway through the second quarter. The 905 couldn’t match Maine’s long-range efficiency but found plenty of success attacking the rim and pushing the pace off the Celtics’ 27 turnovers. After being unable to push the lead further beyond double digits as the first half wound down, the Celtics led, 60-50 at the break. Maine shot 12-22 from distance across the opening quarters with Šamanić and Valentine each notching 12 points. 

Kabengele found Shayok cutting along the baseline for an easy bucket to begin the second half. Dowtin’s three brought the 905 back within single digits and they’d put together a 15-4 run that tied the game, 68-68 before Celtics head coach Alex Barlow could call timeout and regroup. Kabengele’s 1-for-2 ended the run and Maine quickly got back in front with an 11-6 run that stretched the lead back out to seven. A.J. Reeves emphatically blocked Harper’s layup attempt in the closing seconds of the third, though Ryan Hawkins answered back for the Raptors with a three to beat the buzzer and cut Maine’s lead to four, 83-79. 

Hawkins converted an and-one at the outset of the fourth that made it a one-point game and the 905 would re-take the lead, 84-83. It stayed close in crunch time until the Celtics turned on the jets and took over the game, ripping off a 12-0 run highlighted by some clutch long-range shooting from Šamanić and Smith. The 905 put a scare into the Celtics by forcing some late turnovers, but time wasn’t on their side and Maine held on through the end to collect a 106-100 victory. 

The Maine Celtics will round out a two-game set with the Raptors 905 on Dec. 11 before finishing the Showcase Cup schedule with a matchup against the Greensboro Swarm on Dec. 15.