Well, this wasn’t the first impression the Maine Celtics wanted to make.
Let it be known that Theo Pinson of the Celtics scored the first basket just 18 seconds into the game in pro basketball’s return to the Portland Expo on Friday night after 614 days. After that, it was a struggle.
The Delaware Blue Coats came out flying, pushing the tempo, playing aggressive defense and hitting their shots to push back the Celtics 114-103 before an enthusiastic crowd of 1,806. A 17-0 run in the first quarter pushed Delaware into a comfortable lead it never lost.
Each time the Celtics made a move, pulling within five in the second and eight in the fourth, Delaware responded by either hitting a big shot – the Blue Hens hit 13 of 31 3-pointers – or forcing one of Maine’s 25 turnovers, nine of which came in the first quarter.
“We would have loved to make a better first impression,” said Maine Celtics Coach Jarell Christian. “But I know the group of guys we have, I know their character, I know who they are. I know they’re going to come out and be better because of it. We’re all extremely disappointed because of this first showing at the Expo. But I’m confident we’re going to come out next game and put out a better product then we just did.”
Maine plays Delaware again Sunday at the Expo at 1 p.m.
It was the first game played at the venerable Expo since March 8, 2020, also a loss that day. The fans arrived early for this one, in anticipation of the start of a new era in the pro basketball franchise. The team was rebranded as the Maine Celtics from the Maine Red Claws, enhancing the relationship between the parent club and the G League club.
But after an early Maine lead, Delaware kept the fans out of the game for the most part.
The Celtics led 7-5 on a Sam Hauser deep 3-pointer from the right corner. Then the Blue Coats went on their 17-0 run, fueled by tight defense and hot shooting, to lead 22-7 before Juwan Morgan hit a 3 for Maine from the right wing.
It was 37-21 after one quarter.
Maine put on a big run to start the second, pulling within 45-40 on a 3-pointer by Jaysean Paige with 6:56 left in the period. Chris Clemons, who led the Celtics with 22 points, led the charge, hitting three 3-pointers. But Delaware regrouped and led 64-47 at the half.
Delaware’s lead hit 20 late in the third. Then the Celtics fought back, pulling within eight with 8:48 left on another Clemons 3. But once again, Delaware pulled away to seal the win.
“It was just a game of runs,” said Pinson, who finished with 11 points. “They made a good run on us. Maybe our intensity could have been a little higher. They are a very aggressive defensive team and it’s hard to assimilate. We adjusted to it later in the game. But they just had confidence going throughout the whole game.”
Pinson said the outcome was disappointing, especially considering how into the game the crowd was.
“It was a great crowd,” he said. “At the end of the day, it happens. Sunday hopefully we can have a different outcome and play better.”
NOTES: The NBA G League is using a unique format for its schedule this year. The first 12 games of the season will count toward the Showcase Cup, which will be held in mid-December in Las Vegas. The top eight teams will play in a Showcase tournament there, with a champion crowned, while the other teams will play two games. The standings will reset after the Showcase tournament, followed by playoffs and league championship. … The Boston Celtics did, indeed, assign forward Bruno Fernando to the Maine Celtics. The 6-foot-9 Fernando has played in three games for Boston this year, averaging 2.0 minutes.
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