PORTLAND, Maine – Seven different Celtics scored in double-figures as Maine grew a lead as large as 45 in a 122-97 blowout win over Windy City Sunday afternoon.
The win improves Maine to 13-15 in the regular season and snaps its four-game home losing streak. Windy City drops to 12-12 with the defeat.
Keon Johnson paced Maine with 21 points, matching a season-high to go along with a season-best 10 rebounds. Hason Ward posted 16 off the bench, and Jalen Bridges poured in 14 on 4-5 shooting from three. John Tonje with 13, Kendall Brown 11, Amari Williams 11 and Hayden Gray 10 all also finished in double-digits. Maine shot 55.8% (48-86) from the field and 46.4% (13-28) from beyond the arc. The Celtics dished out 34 assists on 48 made field goals.
Keyshawn Bryant scored a game-high 25 points for Windy City in a losing effort. Lucas Williamson poured in 18 for the Bulls, while Giorgi Bezhanishvili with 16 points andMouhamadou Gueye with 12 both ended in double-figures. The Bulls shot 41.3% (38-92) from the floor and 27.5% (11-40) from three.
Bezhanishvili got Windy City off to a good start. He scored eight points in the first 5:22, and with 6:38 to go in the opening quarter, his three put the Bulls on top 14-10. Maine had a quick response. A Kendall Brown bucket capped off a 15-0 run to lift the Celtics on top 25-14 with 1:54 to go in the first. Windy City never led again. Overall, the C’s closed the period on a 23-4 burst to take a 33-18 lead after one.
A Ward dunk on the first possession of the second extended the Maine lead to 17 at 35-18. A 7-0 Windy City run, finished with a Gueye basket, brought the Bulls back within 10, 35-25, with 10:29 to go in the half. The Celtics again had the answer. The C’s countered with an 8-0 of their own, that grew to a 22-3 burst punctuated with a Williams three-point play to lift Maine up by 29, 57-28 with 4:53 to go in the second. A Tonje three with 1:35 to play in the half extended the Maine lead to 30 for the first time at 66-36. That triple was part of a 9-0 run to close the quarter, lifting the C’s on top 72-36 at the break. Brown, Williams and Tonje led a Maine offense that saw all nine players who saw the floor in the first half make multiple field goals with 11 points apiece. As a team, the C’s shot 64.4% (29-45) from the field, 50% (5-10) from three, and scored 19 points off 11 Windy City turnovers. Bezhanishvili was the lone Bull in double figures in the first half with 10. Windy City shot 32.6% (14-43) from the field and 19% (4-21) from three.
Maine didn’t slow down to begin the second half. A Tonje bucket, put the Celtics on top by 40, 78-38, and forced a Windy City timeout just over two minutes into the quarter. With 4:51 to go in the third, a Johnson jumper upped the Maine advantage to 45 at 94-49. With 1:36 left in the quarter, a Johnson free throw pushed the C’s past the century mark and increased the advantage to 100-58. A pair of Williamson threes in the final minute for Windy City left the Celtics ahead 103-66 after the third.
The Bulls scored the first six points to open the fourth, and with 10:34 to play, a Gueye free throw lessened the Maine lead to 103-72. That was part of a 27-9 Bulls spurt to cut what was a 45-point Maine to 27 at 105-78 with 9:11 to go. With 4:35 to go, Ebenezer Dowuona scored his first basket in a Maine Celtics uniform, upping the C’s advantage to 116-89. Overall, Windy City won the fourth quarter 31-19, but it was not enough to erase a 45-point deficit in the 122-97 Maine win. Up next, Maine hits the road for a two-game series in Osceola beginning Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. The Celtics return to the expo Sunday, March 13, for a 7 p.m. start against the Grand Rapids Gold.
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