Killian Hayes had G-League highs in points, steals, 3-pointers Sunday as he led the Long Island Nets to a win over the Maine Celtics.
The Long Island Nets, after a miserable 2-14 start in the G League’s Tip-Off Tournament, are back in business. With Killian Hayes and Kendall Brown having their best games of the season, the Nets affiliate defeated the Maine Celtics, 109-91.
The win gives Long Island a .500 record at 4-4 and a chance to have a winning record for the first time since they defeated the Delaware Blue Coats on December 30.
For Long Island, Killian Hayes and Kendall Brown were the big contributors.
It was easily Hayes best game in the G League. He finished with 25 points, shooting 10-of-18 and 5-of-9 from deep. It was his most shots and most makes from deep this season. For a player who lost his job with the Pistons last February mainly because of his lack of reliable shooting, it was a big deal. Hayes flirted with a double-double again, picking up 8 assists. He also recorded five steals, again his highest total of the season.
This performance came days after Hayes, still only 23, finished with a 14/5/9 stat line. He has come close to a double-double in two straight games, continuing to show not only he can score, but also gets his teammates involved.
Brown continued his steady play, leading the team in scoring with 26 points. The 6’7” 21-year-old former Pacer connected on nine of his 12 shots, shooting 75% from the field, including two of his three shots from deep. He made all four of his shots from the free throw line.
Scoring aside, Brown continued to play well in other aspects of the game. He picked up six rebounds, and one assist, continuing to show he’s a team player, as well as a board machine. Brown also had one steal to add to his already impressive play. For the season, Brown is now averaging 17.8 points on 62/42/80 shooting splits to go along with 5.3 boards and 3.0 assists.
In his debut with the Long Island Nets, Oshae Brissett finished with eight points and nine rebounds. He finished only connecting on one of his seven shots, including going one for four from deep. The Nets claimed Brissett, a member of last season’s Boston Celtics championship squad on Friday.
Dariq Whitehead finished with nine points, three rebounds, and three assists but had the dunk of the game. Our Lucas Kaplan recalled a recent comment by the once hyper athletic Whitehead who had been asked when he’ll know he’s back from his various foot injuries…
“I feel like I’m pretty much all the way back. The last hurdle I gotta get over is me going to dunk on somebody. That’ll be when I know for sure I’m back.”
– Dariq Whitehead at Summer League https://t.co/k16uPUuWlM
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 19, 2025
Could that be it?
Drew Timme, the 6’10” Gonzaga All-American acquired earlier in the month, finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. It was the first time in seven games with Long Island that Timme failed to reach 20 points.
For the Celtics, now 6-7 on the regular season, Jay Scrubb and Anton Watson led the way with 16 points each. D.J. Rodman, son of Dennis Rodman, and Kavion Pippen, nephew of Scottie Pippen finished with eight points each.
After going down by close to 10 points early in the first quarter, Long Island battled back to trail Maine by three heading into the second. Long Island took over the game in the second quarter, heading into the half with a 10-point lead, 53-43.
The third quarter saw more of the same. Long Island took a nine-point game over into the fourth. The fourth was all Long Island as Long Island finished off the Maine Celtics and put the game out of reach, winning by nearly 20 points.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (4-4) look to add to this two-game win streak as they return home on Wednesday, January 22nd, and welcome in the Windy City Bulls. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN+.