PORTLAND — The improving Maine Red Claws (6-5), having just split two 1- point road games, are at home this weekend for key back-to-back clashes with division leading Westchester. The first place Knicks (9-3) are the D-league affiliate of the New York Knicks.

Maine, winners of three of their last four games, will seek to extend its twogame home win streak during the 7 p.m. contests on Friday and Saturday.

Westchester’s lineup features Jimmer Fredette, who is averaging 24.4 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Fredette, a native of Glens Falls, New York, was the leading Division I scorer and National Player of the Year during his senior season at Brigham Young University. Fredette was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He has played in 229 games in four NBA seasons with a career average of 6.1 points. Fredette played in 50 games for New Orleans last year and had a career low average of 3.6 points per game. The 6-foot-2, 26-year-old guard has an outstanding .878 NBA career free throw percentage.

Watch for him to score from any distance or angle.

The Red Claws occupy second place in the five-team Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, trailing Westchester by 2.5 games. Each of the four division winners in the 19-team league, and four wild-card teams with the next best records regardless of division, will qualify for the playoffs which begin on April 5. Each team plays 50 games during the regular season which ends on April 2. If the season ended today, the Red Claws would qualify as the final wild-card team.

After this weekend the Red Claws travel to Iowa to face the Energy (7-4) before returning to Portland on Thursday, Dec. 31fora1p.m.NewYear’sEveengagement with the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate Texas Legends (5-5)

Maine’s lineup boasts the league’s top shot blocker, rookie Jordan Mickey. His average of 4.4 blocks per game is far ahead of the second place mark of 3.1 bpg. Mickey leads the Red Claws in scoring (18.5 ppg), minutes (35.4 mpg) and rebounding (11.0 rpg). The 6-foot- 8 forward played at Louisiana State for two years before selected by the Celtics with the 33rd pick in the 2015 NBA draft. Mickey was the top college shot blocker in the nation last year.

Second-year Red Claw forward Omari Johnson leads the team in three-point baskets made per game (2.9) and three-point shooting percentage (40-percent). The 6- foot-9 Indiana product is second in scoring and rebounding at 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Maine is under the direction of second year coach Scott Morrison. This is the seventh season that the Celtics have used the Red Claws as their NBA Development League affiliate and the fourth in which Boston is Maine’s sole NBA affiliate with full control over the team’s basketball operations.

Radio broadcasts of each game can be heard live on WJJB 96.3 FM with Chris Sedenka (play by play) and Rick Simonds (analysis) calling the action. Sedenka, a 1999 Gorham High graduate, is a former co-host of the PM JAB sports talk show. Simonds was a very successful basketball coach at St. Josephs College, winning 11 conference titles in 23 years.