Maine Opens Regular Season With Dominant Win

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – With the NBA G League standings reset after the Showcase Cup portion of the season, the Maine Celtics opened the Regular Season with a 126-113 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, led by Mfiondu Kabengele’s efficient performance.

Maine (1-0) was led by Kabengele’s 30 points, 12 rebounds and two assists on 14-15 shooting from the field, a season-high in scoring and field goals made for the Two-Way big. Luka Šamanić put up 24 points and nine rebounds. Kamar Baldwin scored G League career-highs of 20 points and seven rebounds to go with five assists. Marial Shayok added 19 points and four rebounds and Denzel Valentine posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Two-Way player JD Davison had eight points, four rebounds, and four assists. Trey Davis made a three and notched six assists. 

Gabe York led Fort Wayne (0-1) with 27 points off the bench. Two-Way player Trevelin Queen logged 22 points, three rebounds, and three assists and Jermaine Samuels Jr. recorded 21 points and four boards. Justin Anderson registered a double-double with 10 points, four rebounds, and 10 assists.  

Baldwin, an alumnus of nearby Butler University, scored at all three levels and tallied seven of Maine’s first nine points. The Celtics shot 60 percent from the field in the opening minutes on the way to an early 16-8 lead, but the Mad Ants countered with an 8-0 run to tie it up. Basketball is a game of runs, and the two squads traded momentum swings during the first, but it was Maine that ended the quarter on top, 30-27. 

Fort Wayne took a 12-0 from the end of the first into the second to take the lead, 34-30. Reggie Kissoonlal made an impact as he stepped off the bench and picked up an offensive rebound along with a three-pointer to get Maine’s offense back on track. Baldwin continued his hot start to the afternoon, scoring nine points in the second quarter and finding Davis for a transition trey that helped the Celtics get back in front. Kabengele’s putback and Baldwin’s drawn charge put the cherry on top of a strong close to the first half for Maine, with five players in double figures and Baldwin leading the way with 16 points. 

A 10-5 Celtics run built them a 76-60 lead in the first three minutes of the third as Kabengele and Šamanić dominated Fort Wayne’s frontcourt in the paint. Valentine racked up stats in a hurry to begin the second half, dishing out highlight-worthy assists and splashing home a triple before the Mad Ants went on a big run to get back within striking distance. Maine led 90-65 midway through the quarter, but the lead had shrunk to 16 points, 100-84 by the end of the third after a 19-10 run closed the gap for Fort Wayne. 

Six straight points to open the fourth brought the Mad Ants within 10, but it was all Celtics from then onward. Maine’s lead hovered around a dozen for most of the final frame and even stretched beyond 20 for a brief period as Baldwin, Kabengele and Valentine continued to stuff the box score. The Celtics never trailed after taking the lead in response to Fort Wayne’s first half run, collecting a 126-113 win to kick off the G League regular season. 

The Maine Celtics will return home for a back-to-back against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Dec. 30 and 31 before hosting the Motor City Cruise for another back-to-back the following week.