Knicks Come Back To Take Down Celtics

White Plains, NY – The Maine Celtics started red-hot but cooled off in their regular season finale, losing at Westchester 122-113.

Maine (21-13) finishes the season now waiting to see their playoff destiny. The Celtics have qualified for the NBA G League Playoffs, but must watch the remaining teams play their final games this weekend to determine their seeding. Maine was led tonight by Drew Peterson, who finished with 32 points including 9 made threes and a franchise record 21 three-point attempts, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. JD Davison added 21 points and 10 assists, while fellow Two-Way Miles Norris scored 20 points in the loss.

Westchester (20-12) clinched a playoff spot with the win. The Knicks were led by New York Knicks assignee Pacome Dadiet, who finished with 25 points including 7-11 from three-point range, including crucial threes down the stretch. Moses Brown finished with 20 points and 21 rebounds in the win.

After Miles Norris kicked off the scoring with a long three, fellow Two-Way player Drew Peterson buried a three pointer just over two minutes in the game to put the Celtics up 8-2. That shot set the stage for the rest of the quarter as Peterson was 6-6 from the field, including 5-5 from beyond the arc for 17 first quarter points. With 6:49 to play in the opening quarter, Moses Brown powered through the foul to score and give the Knicks their first lead of the night, 13-12. Norris and Peterson Maine's response by knocking down four consecutive three-pointers to lead the Celtics on a 12-3 run, jumping out to a 24-16 lead. A dunk by Hason Ward off a JD Davison assist extended Maine's lead to 10 with 4:34 to go in the first quarter. Westchester's Kevin McCullar sliced through the lane and scored to cap off a 7-0 Knicks run to cut the Celtics' lead back down to three. Miles Norris also tallied 13 points in the quarter as Maine shot 89% (8-9) from three and led Westchester 38-32 though one.

Maine's hot shooting continued in the second quarter. Tristan Enaruna connected from deep with 9:28 on the clock as the Celtics opened the quarter on a 9-0 run to lead the Knicks 47-32. After a Westchester timeout, Tyrell Roberts got in on the action, knocking down a triple to mark a 15-0 Maine run stretching back to the first quarter and extend the Celtics' lead to 18. Westchester didn't score in the quarter until Jordan Tucker made a three with 8:32 left in the first half. That spurred a 10-0 Knicks run to pull Westchester within eight. Westchester's Tucker drove in the lane and got a contest jump shot to fall with 4:42 remaining in the half to pull the Knicks within two of Maine. With 1:59 to play in the half, Davison knocked down a long three to put the Celtics back up in front, 70-56 as Maine answered again with a 14-2 run. Maine shot 51% from the floor and made 14 three-pointers in the first half as the Celtics led the Knicks 72-60 at the break. Peterson led Maine with 23 first half points and 7-10 shooting from three. Brown led the Knicks with 16 first half points.

In the 3^rd, Maine increased the lead to 20 points, but then started to cool off. Boo Buie and Chuma Okeke led the charge for Westchester as the Knicks started to chip away at the Celtics’ lead. Westchester went on a 14-2 run to surge back into the game, making it 86-79. Norris finished the period with a driving dunk, but the Knicks answered to make it 94-89 after three.

The 4^th quarter opened with Maine head coach Tyler Lashbrook getting ejected from the game. The ensuing free throws made it a 96-94 game. The Celtics responded with a Peterson three-point play followed by a Tristan Enaruna steal and dunk. Okeke buried a three to cut it to two. Enaruna answered with a left-handed lay-up. Okeke made a three plus the foul – the four-point play tied the game at 107. Dadiet hit back-to-back threes to put Westchester up 6. A Kevin McCullar steal and dunk made it 118-110. The Celtics would not be able to overcome the deficit from there.

After the unbelievable start, Maine finished the game shooting 38.5% (40-104) from the floor, 37% (17-46 from the three-point line, and 9-10 from the free throw line. Westchester wound up shooting 41.4% (41-99) from the field, 46.8% (22-47) from beyond the arc, and 12-18 from the charity stripe.