PORTLAND – If professional basketball is back to stay in this state, history will show the Maine Red Claws wasted no time stirring the pot.

It was a nearly perfect debut for Maine’s NBA Development League franchise, which bounced fellow league newcomers the Springfield Armor, 102-79,before an enthusiastic welcoming committee of 3,091 at  sold-out Portland Expo on Friday night.

Maine (2-1) dominated the paint and the free throw line with a balanced offense and bouts of defensive brilliance. Four Claws reached double figures, led by Mario West with 19 points off the bench, 14 apiece from Bill Walker and Tony Bobbitt and 10 by Trey Gilder. Darnell Lazare and Noel Felix added nine points each.

“We just have a lot of good players, and they shared  the ball,” Red Claws coach Autin Ainge said. “It takes some good, unselfish play. Our bench, Mario West played amazing, Tony Bobbitt. Trey Gilder gave us a huge spark off the bench, and Noel Felix (nine points) came off in that first half and hit some shots and gave us a lot of energy.”

Maine’s bench outscored Springfield’s, 58-11.

The Red Claws took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Springfield hung around for a little over three quarters until a 17-2 fourth-period run pierced the winless Armor (0-3).

JamesOn Curry scored a game-high 26 points for Springfield, but Maine enjoyed a 60-30 margin in points in the paint and a 41-15 gulf in free throw attempts. 

“We were just executing,” West said. “Anytime you can get easy baskets, layups, off steals … Our defense really did the job with some blocks and some steals and we got a lot of easy baskets at the other end.

Alexis Ajinca, a 7-foot French import and Charlotte Bobcats project, earned early cult favorite status with a power game that resulted in five points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Ajinca said he enjoyed being a crowd-pleaser, but couldn’t shake off some missed dunks that produced almost as many ooh-and-ahhs from the throng as the jams that did go down.

“I think we really enjoyed the game and tried to do exactly the right thing like the coach asked us to do,” he said. “(Springfield) has some big men, so I’ve got to set the tone early in the game.  I was looking for rebounds and blocks, but tonight I missed a couple of dunks and I’m a little bit frustrated.”

Back-to-back hoops by Major Wingate to start the fourth quarter pulled the Armor within 75-71. Bobbitt’s fall-away jumper sparked the deciding run, and Will Blalock added fuel when he drove to the hoop, got his runner blocked, collected the ball in mid-air and sent a touch pass to Lazare for a layup that made it 79-71 as the Claws pulled away.

“We just continued to push,” said Walker, the Claws’ first prospect fromi the Boston Celtics. “We try not to panic with the veterans we have on this team. We move the ball and get high-percentage shots, from inside and outside.”

With Celtics general manager Danny Ainge seated near halfcourt, the Claws started out with a  clear case of nerves. Ajinca, their most recent acquisition, had the crowd buzzing with three blocked shots in the first four minutes and a missed dunk on a putback try. Lazare scored the franchise’s first points on the home parquet with a 15-foot baseline jumper 18 seconds into the game. 

Maurice Maxwell (15 points) came out hot from the perimeter for Springfield while Maine proved more determined to attack the basket. The lead changed hands eight times in the early going before seven straight points by West put the Claws in front, and they closed the first quarter with an 11-2 run to widen the lead to 28-18. They scored 16 of those points in the paint, highlighted by a Felix dunk off a Billy Thomas baseline drive-and-dish and, on the fast break, West’s pass to a trailing Mike Wlliams for a layup.

“They’ve got slashers,” said Springfield coach, and former Celtic, Dee Brown. “They’ve got veteran guys who understand the dynamics of the league, when the ref is calling the game where you can’t put your hands on a guy and be aggressive. And you can’t get to the foul line shooting jump shots. We’ve got to do a better job of mixing that up.”

Maine’s offense stalled in the second quarter, hitting just two hoops in the first seven minutes. The Armor trimmed the deficit to four points with 5:18 to go in the half. The Red Claws got the break going again with a West-to-Walker connection for a layup that briefly sent the cushion back into double digits before Springfield closed to 46-39 at halftime.

The lead hovered around double digits for the balance of the third quarter. Felix’s dunk off a West steal made it 63-55 and brought the crowd to its feet midway through the period. The Claws maintained the eight-point margin heading into the fourth.

“It was a great night all around,” said Ainge, whose team has a rematch with the Armor in Springfield Saturday night.