The Maine Red Claws saw a 26-point lead disappear Sunday and needed to rally to beat the Springfield Armor 100-95.

Abdul Gaddy led Maine with 19 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 54 seconds left. He was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Maine improved to 19-25, while Springfield dropped to 20-26.

Both teams were eliminated from the NBA D-League playoffs Saturday night, leaving them battling for pride and third place in the East Division.

Maine won the season series between the two New England rivals, 5-4.

“We’ve been undermanned and I’m really proud of the way our guys have been battling,” Red Claws Coach Mike Taylor said.

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Maine continues to play with only eight players as two Red Claws are in the NBA: Chris Babb with Boston and Chris Wright with Milwaukee.

On Sunday, three Maine players recorded over 38 minutes of playing time – guard Tyshawn Taylor (18 points) and Frank Gaines (16) and forward Sherwood Brown (14 points).

Maine jumped to a 41-15 lead with 8:35 left in the second quarter, as the Armor shot only 16 percent (4-for-25).

“You can’t dig a hole like that, being 26 points down, and expect to win in this league,” Springfield Coach Doug Overton said.

But the Armor kept chipping away, finally taking a 93-92 lead with 4:44 left in the game.

“It’s about concentration and staying focused,” Mike Taylor said. “Sometimes we lose our attention to detail and teams take advantage.”

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Daniel Orton (16 points) tied the game 93-93 with a free throw with 3:36 left.

Springfield squandered its next three possessions.

With two minutes left and the shot clock winding down, Gaddy drove through three Springfield players for a 95-93 lead.

“My guy came up so my immediate instinct was to drive by him,” Gaddy said. “Once I moved into the lane, I was looking at (6-foot-9 Armor center) Willie Reed. If he was going to commit to me, I was going to drop it to (Orton).

“He didn’t, so I was able to get to the rim.”

Reed’s put-back tied the game at 95, with 1:10 left.

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Maine passed the ball inside to Orton. He sent it back out to Brown, who passed over to Gaddy, whose 3-pointer swished with 54 seconds left.

“I thought Sherwood was going to shoot it,” Gaddy said. “Once he got it to me, I had to shoot it with confidence.”

Springfield missed its next two shots. Orton’s two free throws with 13 seconds left clinched it.

NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 2,570 … The Red Claws play Wednesday at Canton and then return to the Expo for three games to end their home schedule, Friday, Sunday and next Monday … While Babb is signed for the rest of the Celtics season (averaging 2.3 points and 10 minutes a game), Wright’s 10-day contract with Milwaukee expires Monday. He will either be re-signed or returned to Maine.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH


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