WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The Maine Celtics advanced to the G-League’s Eastern Conference Finals with a 122-113 playoff win against the Westchester Knicks.
Maine led by double-digits early on, but the Knicks made a second-half push to tie the game at 76 midway through the third quarter.
Then, the Celtics closed out the third quarter on a 27-10 run to take a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter, in large part thanks to JD Davison, who exploded for 14 points in the final four minutes of the period.
JD Davison catches fire in the third quarter to lead the Celtics
Just a day after he was awarded G League MVP, JD Davison put together another masterful performance: 32 points, 17 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
After struggling early on, Davison scored 14 points in a pivotal final four minutes of the third quarter and hit two clutch baskets in the final minutes to put the game out of reach, a floater and a pull-up three with just under two minutes to go.
“I kind of started off slow today, especially in that first half — I missed a couple floaters, I don’t think I hit a three,” Davison said. “Once I hit a three, I think I felt more confident. The team believes in me with the ball in my hand, so I just had to carry the load.”
For Maine Celtics head coach Tyler Lashbrook, Thursday’s performance was just another example of Davison’s prowess at the head of the snake for the team.
“You saw it tonight,” Lashbrook said. “We had a little struggle against the two-three [defense] for a little bit, and then JD comes in, settles us down, gets us where we need to be, and then makes the right play from there. I said it in the locker room just now, but that’s why he’s the MVP. It’s not just the numbers, it’s the leadership, its ability to put guys in the right spots and having the answer for every problem that we see.”
Lashbrook reflected on the chance to let Davison know he won the MVP award on Tuesday night.
“It was really special,” said the first-year head coach. “It was a special moment for him. He’s been working a long time to get to this point, and he’s taken a real commitment to himself to get better every day, on both sides of the ball, and he’s taking a real leadership role in our team.
Miles Norris, who was on the Memphis Hustle earlier this season, reflected on the challenge of guarding Davison.
“It’s a lot better being on the team with him now,” Norris said. “I didn’t like playing against JD.”
Jordan Walsh shared how Davison asserts himself as a leader on the team, despite his quiet nature.
“I feel like a lot of people also underestimate the fact that he’s commanding the floor and telling guys where to go, telling them what to do, getting everybody on the same page, which is really important,” Walsh said, pointing to a moment where he let his emotions get the best of him and Davison got things in order.
“After I pushed that guy on the free throw line, he was like, ‘Get off the free throw line and go stand back there.’ And I was like, ‘All right, cool.’
Jordan Walsh once again joins Maine, eager to win a championship
Jordan Walsh has spent the entire season with the Boston Celtics, but has been a key part of the Maine Celtics’ playoff run. He finished Thursday’s game with 19 points on 6-19 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists — and is enjoying getting the chance to compete for a G League title.
“It’s as important as the Boston Celtics going on their playoff run — both of us have a goal of being somewhere, winning something,” Walsh said.
Walsh was a member of the Maine Celtics team that lost in the Finals last season and said he feels he has “unfinished business” from that loss.
“The first thing I told him was we needed him to rebound — and he got 11 of them, and so love that,” Lashbrook said.
Walsh reflected on his growth from his rookie year with Maine to now.
“I’m better, for sure,” Walsh said. “I feel like I understand my play style and how I fit into systems better. I feel like the buy-in is also greater. The team is different, so trying to find a way to find my role with this team, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, getting stops, or whatever it is, trying to make that happen. But at the end of the day, whatever it is to win is the most important thing, so whatever that moment calls for, that’s how I’m going to try to step up and do.”
Miles Norris has his best game as a Celtic
Miles Norris signed a two-way deal with the Celtics last month after spending most of the season with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlie’s G League affiliate. Norris took some time to adjust to Maine’s terminology and schemes but had his highest-scoring game with the Maine Celtics when it mattered most, posting 27 points on 9-12 shooting, including 4-7 from three.
“The first couple weeks, I was just getting the feel for the guys’ style of play,” Norris said. “But I played enough games, practiced enough with the team — I feel really comfortable out there. And a lot of guys help me out as well — playing with JD, [he’s] a great leader, great point guard. So, pretty easy out there.”
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Norris made crucial plays on both ends in the final minutes — sprinting out to contest a Knicks’ corner three and then subsequently running the floor for an and-one dunk to put the game out of reach.
Norris was on the College Park Skyhawks last year, and didn’t make the G League playoffs. He’s excited by the prospect of winning a G League championship.
“Not making the playoffs last year — I was pretty hurt about that,” he said, adding: “Winning is a big thing in this organization.”
Lashbrook has been impressed with Norris’s growth over the past month.
“He’s just shown a high level of shot making and athletic ability,” he said. “He’s really bought into what we want from him on the defensive end.”
Jordan Shakel provides spark off the bench
Shakel, a second-year Maine Celtics player, scored 15 points and made 5 of 10 three-point attempts in Friday’s game.
“Shak is such a culture center for us in terms of his toughness and his energy and his resilience,” Lashbrook said.
Shakel suffered a season-ending knee injury last year but has become an integral part of the Maine rotation this season.
“Early in the year, he had to sort of battle his way back and get into shape and get his rhythm,” Lashbrook said. “It’s all been built and sorted for this moment. So, we’ve known that he was going to be ready for this. But I just love the energy that he brings and the intensity that he brings. And really, he sets the tone.”
Shuttling back and forth from the Celtics to the G League
Jordan Walsh, JD Davison, and Drew Peterson were all at TD Garden on Wednesday night for the Celtics’ regular season game against the Miami Heat, logging 5 minutes each.
Then, the trio travelled to White Plains to meet up with the rest of the team for Wednesday’s playoff game.
“I‘m kind of used to it,” Davison said of the two-way grind. “We did it last year, so we knew what was ahead for us. I think everybody was just locked in yesterday.”
Lashbrook said there was never a doubt about whether Walsh, Davison, and Peterson would return in time for the G League playoff game.
“They were going to play this game no matter what,” Lashbrook said. “And that just kind of speaks to their resilience, and their grit and the way that they’re wired, and the way that they’re built, and how much they care about this team and that the guys in that locker room.”
Walsh doesn’t mind missing some time in Boston to be with the team.
“I feel like this is my home first,” he said. “So I feel like this is just me coming back.”
A Westchester player signed with the Cavaliers in the middle of the game
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported — in the third quarter of Thursday’s game — that Westchester Knicks forward Chuma Ekeke agreed to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ final roster spot. Ekeke had already played 18 minutes, recording 8 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds, but didn’t check back into the game the rest of the way.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and former first-round pick Chuma Okeke have agreed to a deal, filling the East leaders’ final open roster spot, sources tell ESPN. Okeke averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for NBA G League Westchester this season. pic.twitter.com/WuW3DAWLAM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2025
The signing didn’t have too much of an impact on the game’s outcome, but it served as a quintessential G League moment that saw a top player in a playoff game switch teams mid-game.
Next up: Eastern Conference finals vs Mac McClung and the Oceola Magic
The Celtics will next face the Osceola Magic, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The team took a bus from White Plains to the airport on Friday morning and are flying straight to Orlando.
“It’s gonna be a challenge,” Lashbrook said. “It’s gonna be a battle. That team has been on a roll — about the same time that we started getting on our run, they went on their own run. To me, it’s been the two best teams over this last back half of the stretch, and so it’ll be fun game for us to match up.”
The Magic are led by Mac McClung, who won G League MVP last year and dropped 39 points and 6 assists on Thursday night.
“Mac is probably the quickest guy I’ve ever guarded,” Davison said. “So I just try to stay in front of him, rough him up a little bit, he’s smaller than me — try to put my hands on him a little bit.”
