Red Claws Get Jammed

The Maine crowd no doubt expected another blowout victory for the home team, a repeat of Saturday's blowout.

Instead the Maine Red Claws fell 115-98 to the 2-11 Bakersfield Jam Sunday evening, giving the visitors their second win of the season. The loss dropped the Claws to 8-3 and put them two games behind the league-leading 10-1 Iowa Energy, whom they face Thursday. Bakersfield stepped it up and played well, clearly eager for a win. The Claws were fizzling on both ends of the court, with the defense falling flat and the offense searching desperately for a rhythm.

Celtics fans will be heartened to know that Lester Hudson’s performance was one of the highlights of the evening. In just 24 minutes he had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. A day after playing decently despite being a little under the weather, Alexis Ajinca had a disappointing game with just 6 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes. For Bakersfield, 6'1" G Jeremy Wise led the team with 24 points.

Maine's usually-balanced offense was apathetic. Four players had double digits, but two of those were closer to ten than twenty, and two starters – Will Blalock and Darnell Lazare – had just two points. Trey Gilder, meanwhile, had a great night with 28 points and 7 rebounds. If another player had played at the same level as Gilder and Hudson, this game might have been a contest.

The Claws have started out slowly in other games and finished with wins, so their lackadaisical first quarter was hardly a reason to hit the panic button. Indeed, Bakersfield was ahead for more than half the first quarter on Saturday as well. That day, though, it was a two-point lead; Sunday it was five. While Maine was behind 13-10 on Saturday with 4:30 left in the first quarter, they finished the quarter up 27-18 and never looked back. On both days the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game.

Sunday night, because the team was never clicking on either end, the Claws weren't able to establish any runs. This would have been fine if they’d started strong, but trading baskets doesn't work when you’re behind. Every time the Claws looked like they might get close, knocking the Jam lead down to single digits, Bakersfield answered. One of the top defenses in the D-League looked like it was playing under the Maine State Pier rather than in the Portland Expo.

This is just the sort of disappointing performance that can inspire serious re-evaluation, so it’s no wonder that the Portland Press Herald quotes Head Coach Austin Ainge as mentioning changes. The process began Monday as the Red Claws waived F Mike Williams, who's seen little playing time. Whether it will continue with signing a new player remains to be seen.

NOTES: Austin Ainge earned his first Technical Foul of the season arguing with referee Steve Anderson...Maine had their fifth straight sellout, with 3,045 in attendance...the next game is 1PM Thursday against the Iowa Energy at home.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Trey Gilder; Honorable Mention to Lester Hudson.

Claws Jam Bakersfield

The Maine Red Claws, as expected, destroyed the league's worst team tonight in front of another sellout crowd in the Portland Expo. Despite Bill Walker being sent back up to the Celtics, Alexis Ajinca not at his best, and Lester Hudson only arriving for the second half, it was no contest. At various times the Jam tried to turn it into a contest. While it looked like they might get it going and make it a game, their rally never quite materialized. After the first quarter it was never closer than nine points.

Bakersfield started strong, to be sure. With less than three minutes left in the first quarter, they were only behind by a point. Initially, it seemed that they might be competitive. Perhaps their recent roster moves had been effective, or perhaps this would into a surprise challenge for the Claws, much like their first home loss. Then the Red Claws went on an 11-3 run, and by the end of the quarter the home team was ahead by nine points. That run would be indicative of the rest of the game. Maine never looked back, defeating the visitors by a final of 105-82.

It took Bakersfield the first three minutes of the second before they were able to score. While the Claws scored five more points in the second than they had in the third, the Jam scored the same. At halftime the Claws were in full command with an impressive 23-point lead - identical to the final margin.

Although a brief rally materialized for the visitors as they pushed from being down almost twenty points to finishing the third with an eleven-point deficit, they only barely got it into single digits when the rally fizzled. This was the only quarter where the Jam outscored than the Claws (35-27). For a while there the Jam looked impressive, but then the Claws dominated the fourth quarter.

It wasn't the NBA assignees who stood out, but Trey Gilder and Noel Felix. Gilder notched 18, leading the team in points, while Felix had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Although Hudson didn't see much time, he played well in 13 minutes and Ajinca was impressive despite a slow start, with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Maine played a strong game, despite losing Walker and with Hudson only notching 3 points in 13 minutes. The Red Claws showed why they're one of the best teams in the D-League. They also proved they could dominate without their NBA assignees, and that they'll be competitive with or without help from the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.

NOTES: Celtics GM Danny Ainge attended the game...the first-place Iowa Energy face the 3-7 Eerie BayHawks later tonight; an Iowa loss would leave Maine and Iowa tied for first place...Lester Hudson arrived late & only played in the second half.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Noel Felix; Honorable Mention to Trey Gilder

Maine vs. Bakersfield Preview

Maine Red Claws (7-2) vs. Bakersfield Jam (2-10)

1:00PM Saturday December 26;

5:00PM Sunday December 27, Portland Expo, Portland, Maine

This afternoon and tomorrow evening, the Red Claws square off against the Bakersfield Jam, the worst team in the D-League. Like the Armor, the Jam have the benefit of no NBA assignees. Like the Armor, they're associated with thoroughly mediocre NBA teams: the 7-21 Golden State Warriors and the 12-17 LA's Other Team. In fact, last spring the Jam almost ceased operations entirely.

The team leader so far this season for Bakersfield has been 6'11" C Brian Butch from the University of Wisconsin. While his high school career was notable, and Wisconsin made strides during his collegiate career, he has yet to receive a serious look from an NBA team. 6'6" G Reece Gaines has the most NBA experience on the Jam roster. He played for Louisville in college, then was drafted and signed by the Orlando Magic in 2003, where he sat on the bench. He's played with the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks since then, seeing his playing time decrease steadily, and hasn't been in the NBA since the 2005-2006 season.

These two games should be good opportunities for the Red Claws. While they just lost Bill Walker after Paul Pierce was sidelined for a few games, that shouldn't be too much of a concern. He'll likely be back, and the Claws still have an NBA assignee in 7'0" Forward-Center Alexis Ajinca, from the Bobcats. Ajinca has been steadily improving over the course of his time in Maine, which should please Michael Jordon and Larry Brown as well as Maine fans.

Even apart from the assignees, the Claws have plenty of NBA talent and should continue to be a top-notch team. This organization has a lot of talent, which is reflected by their relatively balanced offense. The Jam, too, have a fairly balanced offense - just for the opposite reason. The difference between the two on defense couldn't be more obvious; if that continues over the weekend, Maine fans won't have much to worry about.

Update: According to the Red Claws Facebook page, Lester Hudson has been sent back down to the Red Claws.  At this point, it is unsure whether he'll play in today's game.