PORTLAND — The Maine Red Claws (31-14 overall, 18-6 at home and already in the playoffs) can clinch the Atlantic Division title and top spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a win tonight.
Maine is a good bet to extend its seven-game home win streak when it entertains the Westchester Knicks (10-35 overall, 1-21 away) at 7 p.m. at the Portland Expo. Maine has not lost at home since Feb. 5.
Like their NBA affiliate New York Knicks, White Plains, New York-based Westchester is having a rough season. After their fifth loss in a row on Tuesday, only Idaho (8-37) had fewer D-League wins than the Knicks.
A bright spot for Westchester has been Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a 6-foot-7 forward. The 22-year-old native of Greece was selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft and they retain his NBA rights. NBADLeague.com rates him as the D-League’s No. 13 prospect, describing him as an “NBA-caliber athlete with elite shot-blocking ability for a wing. Tenacious defender with a nonstop motor.” His younger brother, Giannis, age 20, was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 NBA draft by Milwaukee, and is currently the Bucks’ top rebounder and third-best scorer.
The Red Claws 116-114 win at Erie Wednesday night was their second in a row and topped off a successful 3-1 road trip. In that game, point guard Tim Frazier led the team with 30 points (10-12 from the floor; 9-9 from the free throw line) along with eight rebounds and five assists. Forward Omari Johnson added 22 points and 14 boards.
NBADLeague.com currently rates Frazier as the league’s No. 4 prospect. He returned to the Red Claws on Feb. 28 after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Frazier has played in 11 Red Claws games since his return, and he leads Maine in most categories, including scoring (16.1 points per game), assists (9.5 per game), rebounds (7.1 per game), minutes (35.7 per game) and steals (1.7 per game). The 6-foot-1 Penn State product also is the team leader in foul shots, hitting 80.9 percent of his free throws.
Second-year Red Claw Chris Babb is second on the team in scoring (15.8 points per game), free throw percentage (78.7 percent) and minutes played (34.8). The 6-foot-5 Babb played in 14 games for the Celtics last season, following his promotion from Maine. NBADLeague.com rates Babb as their No. 11 prospect.
Although only playing 26.4 minutes per game, forward Omari Johnson is second among Red Claws with 6.8 rebounds per game and 15.8 points (tied with Babb). The 6-foot-9 Oregon State product is in his first D-League season.
Following tonight’s game, the Red Claws return to the Expo on Sunday for a 1 p.m. matchup with Detroit Pistons affiliate Grand Rapids Drive (21-24).
After this weekend’s play, Maine will embark on a three-game regular season-ending road trip. The playoffs begin shortly after the season ends on April 4.
The Red Claws currently lead second place Canton by four games in the Atlantic Division. Each of the four division winners in the 18-team league, and four wild card teams with the next best records ”“ two per conference ”“ will qualify for the playoffs.
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