Peterson’s game-winner highlights an electrifying (if sloppy) G-League show

If you haven’t caught a Maine Celtics game, I’d recommend it sometime. You’re guaranteed to see something memorable.

It’s not always the smoothest process. Tuesday’s game alone featured clock issues, replays playing on top of live game action, a three-quarters-court made shot that came after the buzzer, a Cruise player signed the day before the game playing without his name on the jersey, and this funny broadcast gaffe (do you see the problem?):

For the Maine Celtics, however, it was no laughing matter. Despite missing several of its best players, the team emerged victorious over a feisty Motor City Cruise squad playing with a redlined engine. They’re now fifth in the East with a 15-10 record, and they’re 9-1 in their last 10 games.

G-League MVP candidate J.D. Davison, who is averaging nearly 27 points and 8.3 assists, was with the big club. Ditto Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman, who has averaged 20 points of his own while shooting 41% from deep on 10 three-point attempts per game.

Maine most missed Davison in their ballhandling, as the team turned it over an astonishing 27 times — high even for a G-League team. In his absence, the ball ended up in Drew Peterson’s hands a lot more often. He largely delivered.

One of the joys of watching G-League games is seeing young guys test skills they’re never allowed to exercise at the next level. Peterson, in particular, ran a lot of the offense (six assists!) and hunted his three-pointer off the dribble. He finished the game 6-for-11 from the field… and 6-for-11 from deep. Even when it looked like he might have a driving lane, he’d dribble right back to the arc like a toddler at the beach afraid to get too close to surging waves:

Peterson’s insistence paid off. He had two monster go-ahead threes in the last minute of the tight game.

First, he laced one from 30 feet out. Then, after G-League Player of the Week Daniss Jenkins hit an absurd triple with eight seconds left, Peterson drilled a step-back game-winner over a Cruise player (Trae Hannibal) he’d been jawing back and forth with all half:

I didn’t clip it, but the broadcast showed him slinging some USDA Choice-grade words in the opponents’ direction.

It was good that Peterson was out there because his shots sandwiched a pair of airballed threes from Tristan Enaruna (who otherwise had a nice game, particularly on the glass) and Anton Watson.

Jay Scrubb had a very Jay Scrubb game, knocking in six of 10 shots in just 19 minutes while turning it over six times(!). I’ve always liked his movement off the ball and his aggressiveness, and a nice dunk highlighted how far he’s come since tearing his ACL right before last season. He still feels like he’s doing too much at times. That’s a natural result of missing a whole season due to injury, but it’s an instinct he’ll need to curb.

James Banks III deserves a shout-out. The big man provided steady rim protection, moved his feet on the perimeter, ran hard in transition, and cleaned up the glass with five offensive rebounds while making five of his six shots. He will never light up the scoreboard, but the Maine Celtics have two years of proof that he can be a high-level shotblocker at this level.

As for Davison and Scheierman? They both got some minutes against the Toronto Raptors. Neither made much noise (although Scheierman did float in a difficult runner during real minutes at the end of the third quarter), but coach Joe Mazzulla did have some praise for them and the team’s player development staff after the game:

Joe Mazzulla with some well-deserved praise for the Celtics’ “Stay Ready Group” and their player development staff:

“It says something about our player development staff. It says something about the guys that they treat every day the same. That they can go in and be ready to… https://t.co/hLrf7S18ca pic.twitter.com/3FPhSJbGgy

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) February 26, 2025

This is JD Davison’s third and final year of two-way contract eligibility. Outside of an improved three-point shot, there really isn’t much more he can prove at the G-League level. Let’s hope the youngster can take advantage of whatever opportunities he has remaining to make a good impression on a team, whether the Celtics or someone else.