PORTLAND, MAINE — The Maine Celtics earned their first playoff win in seven years to advance to the G-League Conference Finals, overtaking the Delaware Blue Coats 119-112.
It was a snowy Thursday night in Portland, Maine, with power outages crippling the state. But, despite the slippery roads and unwelcome weather conditions, a passionate contingency of Maine fans cheered on, as the team – winners of 11 of their last 13 games – came back from a double-digit second-half deficit to win.
JD Davison — the engine that’s powered Maine all year long — severely sprained his ankle in a game against the College Park Skyhawks last week. Doctors told him he’d have to miss a couple of weeks, but Davison said he did everything he could to rehabilitate quickly to be available for the postseason game. He ended up leading Maine with 21 points (9-17 FG), 11 assists, and 5 rebounds, controlling the tempo of the offense and keeping the players engaged even when things were looking bleak.
“I just wanted to play bad,” Davison said postgame. “I just wanted to be here.”
Frustrations boiled over after a missed travel call led to a Blue Coats three to extend the Delaware lead to 11 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Maine head coach Blaine Mueller called a timeout to regather the team, and the Celtics responded, going on a 17-0 run and trading in the deficit for a double-digit lead.
DJ Stewart, who struggled offensively in the first half, helped power the run, scoring 12 of the Celtics’ 17 points. Neemias Queta logged 18 points and 16 rebounds – including 9 on the offensive glass – and Jordan Walsh added 18 points and 9 boards.
“We came out in the second half with a different sense of urgency,” Queta said after the game. “We knew how much we wanted to win this game, so we kind of let it all out in the second half. One through ten, everybody came in there and played the right way.”
Everyone who played left their mark on the game. NBA veteran Tony Snell, who provided 16 minutes off the bench, finished the night with 8 points with zero missed shots, and a game-high +/- of +19. Kylor Kelley, the top shot-blocker in the G-League, added 8 points on 4-5 shooting and 8 rebounds to help power the comeback. Drew Peterson, one of the team’s top players all year long, added 17 points and 10 boards.
“Survive and advance, man,” Davison said of the team’s mindset. “One game at a time – togetherness, selflessness. We just came together in that third quarter, we just came back and played the game we play.”
As expected, the Blue Coats were led by Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtins Jr, who both put together offensive powerhouses and finished the night with 31 and 41 points, respectively. Mueller said the team tried a whole range of defensive schemes, from blitzing to drop coverage, but that the shotmaking was hard to mitigate.
“They played a great game, they made shots, they made a lot of difficult shots,” Queta said. “We just kept trusting our defense, believing that at one point, if we play the right way, go through screens, make them indecisive, and just be big on the gaps, change the match-ups – we stuck to our game-plan, and at the end of the day, we were able to get the win because of that.”
The Maine Celtics earn their first playoff win in seven years, pulling away 119-112
JD Davison – 21 points, 11 assists
DJ Stewart – 18 points, 15 of them in the second half.
Jordan Walsh – 18 points, 9 rebounds
Neemias Queta – 18 points, 16 rebounds pic.twitter.com/l6Txjad8Ow— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) April 5, 2024
With the victory, Maine advances to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll face the winner of tonight’s game between the Osceola Magic and the Long Island Nets. If the Magic win, Maine will travel to Central Florida for the match-up, and if the Nets win, the Celtics will host another playoff game on Sunday.
Regardless, Blaine Mueller knows not to take the limited time together for granted.
“These guys love each other,” Mueller said. “Like if that’s not evident, if you can’t see that, you’re not watching. We just talked about – no matter what, there’s a finite amount of time left in our season and really with this group, with the way the G league is. Once our season ends, more than likely we’re never going to be together as a full group. That’s just the reality – guys are gonna go to different teams, overseas, whatever. So for us, it’s just taking advantage of the opportunity in front of us, the opportunity to be together, to spend time together, and play with one another and love each other.”
Neemias Queta acknowledged that even though he’s been away with Boston for large stretches of the season, when he returns, he always feels that he’s a part of the Maine Celtics family.
“This group is very easy to fit in. I may be gone for a couple of weeks, months, whatever it is, and I fit in seamlessly,” Quetta said. “They welcome me with open arms and they make it easier for me to play, make me get in my comfort zone, help me get in a rhythm easier. I’m really glad I’m able to be a part of a group like this, and I just want to keep it going.”
