PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Red Claws were eliminated from the NBA D-League playoffs, 123-117, at the hands of the Canton Charge in Game 2 of the best-of-three series Thursday night at the Cross Insurance Arena.
John Holland (27 points) hit two crucial 3-pointers for Canton down the stretch, erasing a Red Claws comeback and sealing victory for the Charge. Canton’s Quinn Cook led all scorers with 31 points.
Maine was led by Coty Clarke with 28 points and 8 rebounds, while Jordan Mickey, on assignment from the Boston Celtics, added 26 points and 11 boards. Omari Johnson scored 19 points, while Coron Williams added 13, and James Young, also on assignment from the Celtics, scored 11.
The Red Claws started the game slowly, shooting 33 percent in the first quarter. Mickey paced the Claws with eight points in the opening period, but Canton jumped out to an 11-2 lead quickly.
The Claws fought back, with Walden and Johnson throwing in big slams to get Maine back in it. Still, with six turnovers in the first quarter, Maine trailed Canton 27-22 after one, and the Red Claws lost point guard Corey Walden to an ankle injury in the first quarter.
The Claws started to shoot better in the second quarter, with James Young leading the charge from downtown. Maine took the lead for the first time, and extended to 46-42 lead but from that point, Cook and the Charge finished out the quarter on a 15-3 run, and Maine trailed 57-49 at halftime.
In the third, Canton surged out to a double-digit lead, leading by as many as 13 points. Maine chipped away, with Clarke leading the attack on both ends of the floor. Maine shot 61 percent in the third and outscored Canton 35-28 and the deficit was just one at 85-84.
The fourth quarter was another wild finish, just like Game 1. Canton extended the lead, but Maine came back thanks to six straight points from Thornton to give Maine a 103-102 lead.
Mickey threw in back-to-back blocks, and Maine and Canton were tied at 109. Holland hit a 3-pointer to put the Charge up three – then hit another three with the shot clock expiring to put the game away.
The Charge advance and will play the winner of the Sioux Falls-Westchester series.