In the Maine Red Claws’ three-game winning streak to open the season, reserves Daniel Dixon and Trey Davis hadn’t consistently found their groove from beyond the 3-point arc. Other than Dixon’s 4-for-5 effort in the season opener, the two guards combined to shoot 27.7 percent.

So when they helped the Red Claws rally from a 17-point third-quarter deficit Sunday against the Canton Charge by hitting nine 3-pointers in the second half, things were looking up.

However, it was two late 3-pointers by Canton’s John Holland that helped the visitors claim a 120-118 overtime victory in front of 2,112 at the Portland Expo.

Holland’s 3-pointer from the right wing made gave the Charge a 117-116 advantage with 23 seconds remaining in overtime. Maine’s Kadeem Allen answered with a drive to the hoop, but Holland made another 3 from the top of the key with 7.7 seconds left.

Allen then missed two free throws – the second intentionally – with 2.5 second left.

“They’ve got a good team. We didn’t overlook them,” said Allen, who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. “We fought. We could have won the game, but we came up short by two free throws. I felt like I let the team down.”

Maine Coach Brandon Bailey would not let Allen, a 2017 second-round pick by the Boston Celtics, take the blame.

“That’s not why we lost the game, the missed free throws,” Bailey said. “We lost the game because of plays that happened before that. Not so much Holland’s shots late – those were tough shots with good defenders on him. More so, it was about all the plays in the first half and start of the third quarter and the hole we got in.”

Holland finished with 43 points, including 6 of 10 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“That’s John. He’s been great for us for the three years he’s been here,” Canton Coach Nate Reinking said. “He’s a gamer. He hit big shots when we needed big shots. We give him the ball and he is ready to go.”

The Red Claws only trailed by two at halftime, 62-60, but they opened the third quarter by committing seven turnovers on their first eight possessions. With almost eight minutes elapsed, the Charge had opened a 79-62 lead. But Dixon canned three 3s in the final 4:13 of the quarter to help Maine tie the game 84-84 going into the fourth.

Davis (team-high 28 points) and Dixon combined for five 3s in the fourth quarter as the Red Claws opened their largest lead, 110-103, with 2:50 left.

“Trey and Daniel have been a spark for us off the bench,” Bailey said. “We kind of expect that now. But moving forward, we can’t rely on those types of plays and shots to get us back in games. We have to execute better.”

Jonathan Holmes, who was traded to Maine in the offseason for Arthur Edwards and Marcus Thornton, finished with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Dixon chipped in with 18 points.

Kendrick Perkins, a fan favorite of the Celtics from 2003-11, received the loudest ovation during the starters’ introductions. Canton’s 6-foot-10 center finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Perkins is trying to get back to the NBA for the first time since the 2015-16 season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

“I just want to stay around basketball, to stay relevant and to make sure I keep my name in the loop,” Perkins said. “You know, it’s about putting your pride aside and about competing.”

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