The Maine Celtics solidified their G League playoff chances Sunday afternoon with a 121-91 win over the Cleveland Charge in front of a sellout crowd of 2,417 at the Portland Expo.
The Celtics (17-18) close the regular season Tuesday night at the Expo with another game against the Charge (22-11). Maine holds the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference, just ahead of the Windy City Bulls, who were set to play later Sunday afternoon at Birmingham.
Maine shot well from 3-point range throughout the game, making 18 of 44 shots (40.9%). The Celtics also were a perfect 9 for 9 at the free throw line. Conversely, Cleveland made just 11 of 40 3-pointers (27.5%) and went 6 for 12 at the line.
Maine led 69-59 at the half. The Celtics led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter, before Cleveland went on a 20-8 run to cut the deficit to 45-44 with 7:34 left in the first half. The Celtics pulled away in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 100-76 going into the fourth.
Maine’s Kendall Brown scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, leading seven Celtics in double figures. Jalen Bridges scored 16 points for Maine, while Keon Johnson scored 15. Hayden Gray had 11 points and eight assists, while Amari Willams grabbed 14 rebounds for the Celtics.
Tristan Enaruna, who played for Maine last season, led Cleveland with 21 points. Miller Kopp added 16 points for the Charge.