Maine Bounces Back with 120-100 Win in Long Island

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - Maine knocked down 20 three-pointers as the Celtics rolled to a 120-100 victory over Long Island on Wednesday night.

Maine improved to 6-7 and Long Island falls to 2-11 as both teams have just one game remaining in the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament before the Winter Showcase begins next week.

The Celtics season-high for 3-pointers made in a game before Wednesday night was 18, which they set in the first matchup with Long Island on November 8. JD Davison led Maine with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, recording his fourth double-double of the season.

Playing without Dmytro Skapintsev for the second straight game, Celtics Head Coach Tyler Lashbrook went with a smaller lineup to start Wednesday's game. Davison, Jordan Schakel, Drew Peterson, Tristan Enaruna, and Watson were the starting five against the Nets. Watson continued his hot shooting streak with 23 points on 5-9 shooting from deep. Schakel added 17 points, connecting on 4-9 from distance. Baylor Scheierman contributed 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds off the bench.

Jay Scrubb returned on Wednesday for his first game with Maine since November 24. Scrubb recorded 10 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of work against the Nets in his return.

Dariq Whitehead led the Nets with 20 points and eight rebounds. Tyrese Martin added 18 points and four assists and Jordan Minor recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Maine got off to a blistering start in the first quarter, connecting on 8 of 16 shots from deep. Watson scored eight points in the first three minutes, and Davison and Scheierman each nailed two from beyond the arc in what was a welcome sight for the Celtics who shot just 31% from deep in Sunday's loss. Eric Gaines got involved in the action to end the quarter, drilling a triple from the corner with less than three seconds remaining to give Maine a 30-26 advantage after the first quarter.

After leading by as many as six in the first quarter, the Nets tied the game up at 34 early on in the second quarter. The Celtics responded with a 15-2 run to jump out to a 49-36 with under seven minutes to go in the half. Davison knocked down a tough floater in the paint with under 10 seconds to go in the quarter to give Maine their largest lead of the first half. Maine connected on 12 total 3-pointers and Davison led all scorers with 17 points as the Celtics led Long Island 64-48 at the break.

The lead would grow to as many as 29 in the third quarter, as the Celtics came out of the halftime locker room by connecting on their first four shots from distance and 6-10 in the quarter. Maine's stingy defense continued to give the Nets problems, holding them to just 21 points in the third as the Nets connected on just 1-8 attempts from three.

The Celtics led Long Island 95-69 to start the final quarter as Maine looked to take care of business and earn its sixth win of the season. Long Island would outscore Maine in the fourth but would only get as close as 18 as the Celtics overcame cold shooting to secure a 120-100 road victory over the Nets.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: JD Davison was the Player of the Game after recording his fourth double-double of the season. Davison finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals to lead Maine to a win.

THE ROAD AHEAD: Maine returns home to the Portland Expo to host Raptors 905 on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final game before the Winter Showcase. The game will broadcast live on NBAGLeague.com and NBC Sports Boston.