GAME PREVIEW: Maine Begins Regular Season in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - After a successful showing at the NBA G League Winter Showcase, the Maine Celtics are back in action on Friday night for the first game of the regular season.

Maine finished the Tip-Off Tournament portion of the 2024 season with an 8-8 record after the Celtics completed a two-game sweep of their games at the Winter Showcase in Orlando, Florida. Maine has won three of their last four games to build some momentum ahead of the standings being reset to 0-0 for the 34-game regular season. Coincidently, Maine also finished the Tip-Off Tournament with a record of 8-8 during the 2023-24 season, before the Celtics went on to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference and made a run to the franchise's first G League Finals appearance.

JD Davison will continue to be the catalyst for the Celtics after the third-year guard proved he's one of the top playmakers in the G League through the first 16 games of the season. Davison is third in scoring (26.5 ppg) and fourth in assists (8.3 apg). In those two wins at the Winter Showcase, the Celtics boasted a total team effort to earn both victories. Ahead of the start of the regular season, seven Celtics players are averaging nine points or more. Boston first-round draft pick Baylor Scheierman is second on the team in scoring with 18.2 ppg and second in rebounding (6.5 rpg). Ron Harper Jr. has also posted strong performances off the bench with 16 and 19 points in his last two games respectively.

The Grand Rapids Gold went 11-5 during the Tip-Off, and advanced to the tournament portion of the Winter Showcase. The Gold beat OKC Blue in their first game 124-110, before falling to eventual champion Westchester 113-108. The Gold were led by rookie Jahmir Young in Orlando, who was named to the NBA G League All-Winter Showcase team. Young packed the stat sheet in both games, and is averaging 22.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists through the first part of the season. He's also a force to be reckoned with on defense, averaging 1.7 steals per contest.

The Gold are led by their Two-Way Players Trey Alexander, PJ Hall, and Spencer Jones. Alexander is averaging 25.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in eight games this season. Hall has averaged a double-double in seven games played with 18.3 ppg and 10.6 rpg. The Gold have also received key contributions from Denver Nuggets assignment player Jalen Pickett when he suits up for the Gold. Pickett has played seven games with Grand Rapids, posting averages of 21.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.

TURNOVER BATTLE: Maine and Grand Rapids are both top three in the entire league in turnovers. Maine is first, turning the ball over under 14 times a game (13.8). The Gold are third at 14.3 TO per game.

CLUTCH GOLD: Grand Rapids has been one of the best teams in the G League in close games. The Gold are tied for first with Greensboro with eight clutch wins during the Tip-Off Tournament.

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT: Baylor Scheierman is expected to be on assignment with Maine for the first game of their road trip. London Johnson is also expected to return for the Celtics. Drew Peterson will be away with Boston and Anton Watson will be out due to injury. Don Carey Jr. (injury) will still be out for Maine and Eric Gaines is questionable (injury).

THE ROAD AHEAD: The Celtics open the regular season on the road on Dec. 27 and 29 at Grand Rapids and Motor City, respectively. Maine returns home for its annual New Year’s Eve matinee at 12pm vs. Texas on Dec. 31.

WHERE TO WATCH: Friday night's game against the Gold is set for 7 p.m. in Grand Rapids and will stream live on NBAGLeague.com.