Kameron Warrens' energy was key in latest Celtics win

PORTLAND, Maine. - It takes a total team effort to earn a win in back-to-back nights. That's what the Maine Celtics accomplished on Saturday, taking down the Long Island Nets 127-116 to improve to 2-3.

Long Island threw the first punch at the Portland Expo, jumping to to an 8-0 lead to start the game. The Nets would lead by as many as nine, and Maine needed someone to step up and swing the momentum in their direction. As Head Coach Phil Pressey puts it, basketball is all about 'Team.' There will be nights where you need an unexpected hero to step up, and on Saturday that was Celtics guard Kameron Warrens.

"When someone doesn't have their best shot, you need your teammates to pick you up," Pressey said. "It's great when you have someone coming off the bench like Kameron Warrens to bring that energy."

"He (Pressey) keeps me confident," Warrens explained. "He always tells me if I'm open to shoot the ball. Rely on my defense, rely on my energy and everything else will take care of itself." 

Warrens came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points on 8-13 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. Warrens scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half alone, helping Maine outscore the Nets by 10 in the second quarter. Ironically, Warrens' previous career-high of 19 points was also against Long Island. On February 13, 2025, Warrens scored 19 second half points to rally the Celtics to a 107-106 win over the Nets. That game-changing energy is something Warrens has become known for during his tenure in Portland.

"I think it comes with being a professional at the end of the day," Warrens said. "Whether you are playing none of the minutes or some of the minutes, the standard doesn't change. It's important to stay ready for any opportunity and I feel like I've been trying to do a good job at doing that."

Through the first five games of the season, Warrens is averaging 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 15.2 minutes per game. After Saturday night's heroics, Warrens is shooting a blistering 44.4% from distance as his role continues to increase in his second season with the Celtics.

"I got a little bigger role this year in terms of defense, leadership, and bringing energy," Warrens said. "I would definitely say the team relies on me to do that."

Pressey added, "Energy is contagious so when he brought that punch, that burst of energy; it jolted us to get back into the game and get things rolling."

Maine looks to bring that energy to practice this week as the Celtics prepare for two more home games, this time against the Delaware Blue Coats. After starting 0-3 in the Tip-Off Tournament, the vibes remain high as the Celtics continue to focus on building winning habits that will serve them well throughout the duration of the season.

"It's fun. I think winning these windows of the days off is a challenge because you have to manage that but I feel like our staff is ready for that and we'll be prepared for next game," Pressey said.

"You're going to go through adversity; you won't get everything you want but you have to keep persevering through," Warrens explained. "The team that goes through the most adversity and gets through it, usually wins in this league."

Maine is back in action on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Delaware and again on Sunday at 12 p.m. against the Blue Coats. Tickets are available here.