IN-FORM point guard JD Davison was the standout once again as the Maine Celtics claimed a five-point win over the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G-League on Monday, with the former sweeping the season series over the latter.

The Celtics currently sit atop the standings in the Eastern Conference, and their dominance in the NBA has translated to the G-League, where they entered yesterday’s clash with a record of 19 wins and 11 losses. However, the Capital City Go-Go and Osceola Magic are hot on their tail, so Maine will need to keep winning if it is to remain at the head of the table.

The Swarm are not far behind, just two games shy of the top seed and firming for a postseason appearance themselves. The clash against the Celtics would prove a true test for their title aspirations, so they would need to bring their best on their home deck at Novant Health Fieldhouse.

The game was tight in the first half, with proceedings tied at the main change after momentum swapped hands on several occasions and the Swarm were doing well to match Maine’s output. However, the Celtics broke away in the second half, putting the foot down en route to a 115-110 victory, moving one step closer to finishing the season as the one-seed.

The performance of Davison was a huge factor in the result of the match, and caps off a dominant stretch for the 22-year-old. The point guard has been on fire of late, and is putting up career-best numbers on the scoring front.

The shift towards becoming a score-first point guard has been evident for Davison, and the numbers back this up. He is averaging a career-high 25 points per game, and is taking three shots more per game than his breakout campaign last season.

Against the Swarm, it was on show again how aggressive he is looking to be with ball in hand, despite being undersized at six-foot-one. Davison is putting an emphasis on driving inside and finishing at the rim, and has impressive bounce for his size, as demonstrated by a first quarter dunk that gave plenty of energy to his side.

He is playing off-ball a bit more this season, and it allows him to cut to the basket off ball and get open underneath the hoop. This was how he got going early, and laid the foundation for the rest of his performance.

Davison went on an individual 5-0 run late in the second quarter to reel the Swarm back in after the home side jumped out to a slight lead on the eve of half time, and at the main break, the Celtics star already had 22 points to his name.

A pair of three-pointers in the third quarter ensured that he kept rolling in the second half, with the second triple banking in at the buzzer to give Maine a 10-point lead, with Davison posting 10 points in the quarter.

In the fourth term, the Swarm looked to get the ball out of Davison’s hands wherever possible, having felt the full effects of his scoring power with 32 points in the first three quarters. However, the point guard then used this to his advantage and became involved as a playmaker, which was perfectly epitomised with a well-timed lob pass to Hason Ward who threw down the slam, extending Maine’s lead to a game-high 14 points.

Despite a late push from the hosts, the Celtics held on for victory, largely due to the heroic efforts of Davison. He finished the contest with 34 points, five rebounds and five assists on 12/21 shooting from the field, and continues to play a vital role in Maine’s championship push.