Maine Welcomes Westchester to the Expo for Home Opener

PORTLAND, Maine. - The Maine Celtics (1-1) will battle the Westchester Knicks (2-0) twice in three days in what’s sure to be a historic weekend for JD Davison.  

Entering Friday night’s home opener, Davison is just five points away from tying the franchise’s all-time scoring record of 1,591 points held by Chris Wright. Davison has scored 30+ points in two road games to start the year, and he leads the G League in assists per game with 14.0. Friday will be the first time Celtics fans will get to see the explosive guard in the 2024-25 G League season.  

Davison isn’t the only Celtic off to a blistering start. Baylor Scheierman, on assignment from Boston, is averaging 28.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in two games with Maine. The 2024 first-round draft pick is shooting 52.2% from deep, including a 60-foot heave in Monday’s win over Delaware. Scheierman is third in the G League with 12 3-pointers made this season.  

After missing the first two games on assignment with Boston, Celtics Two-Way Player Drew Peterson is set to rejoin the team in Maine ahead of the two games this weekend against the Knicks. Peterson averaged 15.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists for Maine last season. Maine will also feature their third, Two-Way Player in Anton Watson. The 2024 second-round pick in the NBA Draft out of Gonzaga has averaged 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his first two appearances for Maine.  

Hason Ward has provided a spark off the bench for the Celtics this year with his rim protection. The rookie out of Iowa State has nine blocks in just two games, which is third best in the G League.  Maine blocked 15 shots as a team against Long Island, which was the most blocked shots in a game since March 2020, and the fourth most blocks in a game in franchise history.

Maine returns home after going 1-1 in their first road trip of the season. After faltering at the hands of Long Island in the season opener, the Celtics bounced back in a big way to defeat Delaware 130-11 in a game that saw six players score in double figures. Maine recorded 33 assists on 48 made field goals and outrebounded the Blue Coats 52-41. The victory was the first in Tyler Lashbrook's head coaching career.

Westchester comes to the Portland Expo bolstering a roster that features NBA experience. NBA veteran T.J. Warren enters Friday’s game after scoring 30 points in a win over Long Island on Tuesday. Warren has appeared in 385 NBA games, averaging 14.3 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 50.5% from the field. Warren’s 32.5 ppg currently leads the G League. Davison is third at 30.5 per clip.  

Other affiliate players with NBA experience are Chuma Okeke and Moses Brown. Landy Shamet was also drafted by the Knicks in the NBA G League Draft, but Shamet is currently out due to injury. Okeke has appeared in 189 NBA games and Brown has played 150 games, with each player averaging more than five points per game in those appearances.  

Westchester’s Two-Way Players are rookie Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas), Boo Buie (Northwestern), and Jacob Toppin, who returns for his second season with the Knicks.  

Maine will have to keep Westchester off the glass, as the Knicks are one of the top rebounding teams in the G League in the early part of the season. The Knicks are averaging 48.9 boards per game, the second best mark in the league.  

Friday and Sunday's games are part of the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament. Teams are placed into four regions and will play 14 games exclusively against each other. Maine is in the East Region alongside Capital City, College Park, Delaware, Greensboro, Long Island, Raptors 905, and Westchester. The teams with the best winning percentage in each region, along with the next four teams with the best winning percentage regardless of their region will advance to compete for the Championship at the NBA G League Winter Showcase.

WHERE TO WATCH: The Celtics will host Westchester on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the team’s home opener. The teams will then reunite at the Expo on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for their second matchup in the NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament. Fans can watch both games live online at NBAGLeague.com. Friday night’s game will also air on Tubi and both Friday and Saturday's game can be viewed live on NBC Sports Boston.