Double duty for foursome
and will have a quick turnaround this weekend while navigating both the G League Finals and time with the Celtics.
The Maine Celtics are tied with the Oklahoma City Blue in the best-of-three finals after dropping a road contest Thursday night. The decisive Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night in Portland, Maine.
The foursome arrived at TD Garden in time Friday to suit up and play for the Celtics in a 131-98 win over the Hornets.
“It’s not anything that we’re not used to,” Queta said. “We’ve just got to own up to it because it’s something that we asked for the whole year. We wanted to be able to compete for a championship. We wanted to withstand those struggles and be able to come out on top because it’s what we fought for the whole year.”
The Celtics signed Queta, who registered 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in 18 minutes against the Hornets, to an NBA contract last week. He appeared in 26 NBA games while he was on a two-way deal this season. He was averaging 4.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 11.4 minutes per game with Boston.
“I’m happy about it,” Queta said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be out here competing for championships with a great team in a great organization.
“It’s just a great opportunity for me and I want to take advantage of it.”
A G League championship would be a first for Maine. Queta scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Game 1 win. He had another 13-rebound performance in Game 2, but shot 1 for 6 from the field and finished with 4 points in the loss.
“At the end of the day, you can’t really take this opportunity for granted,” Queta said. “We’ve got to take it like it’s the last one.”
Walsh and Peterson finished with 8 points apiece vs. Charlotte, while Davison had 7 to go with seven assists.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla plans to make the trip to Portland for Game 3.
“I think it’s just a testament to the coaching staff, the front office, and the players,” Mazzulla said. “It shows the continuity amongst the organization which is kind of what we’re looking for. Those guys have played really well any time they’ve come up for us and they’re doing a heck of a job down there.
“So, I’m excited to go to that game on Monday.”
Hall exhibit right on money
A Celtics-themed exhibit called “The Vault: Boston Celtics Unlocked” is coming to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.
The exhibit set for Springfield is designed to look like a bank vault featuring game-worn jerseys, the 1981 championship trophy, and longlost video footage, among other things.
“We are excited to launch another state-ofthe-art space in the world’s finest sports museum,” said John Doleva, president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame, in a statement. “The Vault: Boston Celtics Unlocked is a limited engagement that will feature a finely crafted experience that will capture the imagination of sports fans and speak to the heart of what makes basketball the world’s most popular game.”
Visitors will hear from Celtics legends in the exhibit. They will also see an exclusive display of Celtics memorabilia.
“We knew we wanted to create something spectacular, something that basketball fans had never seen before,” said Matt Zeysing, vice president of curatorial for the Hall, in the statement. “The Boston Celtics represent a winning tradition that is second to none and that tradition still continues today. To that end, our team has carefully curated and brought together the most sought-after Celtic memorabilia in the world.”
Starters and plus-one sit out
Kristaps Porzinigs (hamstring), Jayson Tatum (knee), Jaylen Brown (hand), Derrick White (ankle), Jrue Holiday (knee), and Al Horford (foot) all sat out the contest, the second to last of the regular season. The final game is Sunday’s TD Garden visit by the Wizards.
The Hornets were missing ex-Celtic Grant
Williams (ankle).