The Maine Celtics had their second day of a back-to-back on Sunday against the Greensboro Swarm. After earning a 116-93 victory on Saturday, they looked rough in the first half on Sunday. But after a huge third quarter, they were right back into things.
Hustle and intensity led the way in the latter half of the game as Maine fought their way back into the contest. Greensboro, who was working with an eight-man lineup due to injuries and two-way availabilities, was fighting just as hard. The game came down to the wire, but in the end, Maine fell just short, losing 109-108.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Maine Celtics’ loss to the Swarm on Sunday afternoon.
Stud - Baylor Scheierman
When Maine looked lifeless in the first half, Baylor Scheierman was there to give them a spark. His offense lifted the Celtics up in a spot where they desperately needed just that.
Scheierman is always one of the most confident players on the floor, and he’s never afraid to shoot. His three-point shot has looked better and better throughout the course of the year.
He’s also capable of getting inside and making things happen off the dribble. Whether that’s making plays for others or finishing a turnaround jumper in the lane, he’s very comfortable within the offense.
There’s still some work Scheierman needs to do on defense. He gets beat off the dribble too easily and misses a rotation from time to time, but the hustle is always there, and that’s the most important thing.
Dud - Kavion Pippen
With Dmytro Skapintsev sidelined Maine turned to big man Kavion Pippen in the starting lineup. The 28-year-old center just wasn’t quite as effective as the Celtics’ regular starter.
Pippen wasn’t able to replicate Skapintsev’s drop coverage, and even Skapintsev isn’t the best in that spot, so it was a significant drop-off for Maine in that area.
And while Pippen’s screens were solid, his touch around the rim left much to be desired. He repeatedly got looks in the paint but wasn’t able to convert on his floaters.
Stud - Jordan Walsh
It was a fairly quiet start for Jordan Walsh. He made the trip up to Portland for his first Maine game of the season the morning after being active in back-to-back games for Boston on Friday and Saturday.
Walsh came off the bench, but as the game went on, he made his mark. The threes started falling, and he began to show off some of the impressive defensive flashes that fans fell in love with.
Even at the end of the first half, on a shot that ended up not counting because it was after the buzzer, Walsh swatted the ball 10 feet back into the crowd. Maine lost the offensive rebound, the Swarm tried to get a last-second shot up, and Walsh sent it soaring. It looked like a cartoon.
Walsh was huge for Maine in the fourth, too, highlighted by a monster slam to tie the game with under two minutes to play, as well as some clutch shots in overtime.
It was a very solid performance for Walsh, who has been in and out of Boston’s rotation this year.
Dud - Drew Peterson*
For as well as he played in Boston for a couple of games, this was an extremely quiet game from Drew Peterson. He just wasn’t as effective as one would expect a two-way player to be in the G League.
On top of being inefficient, Peterson also didn’t look like he was a big part of Maine’s offensive game plan. He played a largely off-ball role but didn’t get many opportunities.
Add in a pretty rough turnover in the third quarter, and this just wasn’t a great game for Peterson.
*The asterisks next to Peterson's spot on the dud list are because he turned it up in the fourth quarter. His shot-making, playmaking, and defense all shined through in a way they didn't through the first three periods.
Stud - JD Davison
As per usual, JD Davison ran the show for Maine. His three-point shot wasn’t falling, but every other part of his offensive game was flowing perfectly on an afternoon when they needed him a lot.
Davison was dishing out nice passes, nabbing steals, and perhaps most impressively, finishing almost everything once he got inside the arc. This includes Davison's go-ahead basket with nine seconds left in the game, which was a mid-range turnaround. The Portland Expo went berserk.
This is the type of performance Portland natives have biome accustomed to from Davison. He runs the show for the Celtics, and he does a great job at it.
Dud - First half
Maine opened the second half looking like a completely different team, but that’s only because they were utterly lifeless through the first two-quarters of this game.
Greensboro was beating them to rebounds, Maine was slow to rotate on defense, and they were taking way too many one-pass threes. Head coach Tyler Lashbrook was not pleased as he walked up and down the sideline.
They deserve a ton of credit for their second-half turnaround, but their efforts in the first half were brutal nonetheless.