Aug 4, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, USA; Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren (1) plays against the Orlando Magic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Mandatory Credit: Ashley Landis/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
NBABy Matt Clapp on

Things didn’t look great for the Indiana Pacers entering the NBA restart after All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis suffered a significant foot injury, especially with the uncertainty at the time of Victor Oladipo’s status.

But Indiana veteran swingman T.J. Warren has taken his game to another level in the bubble. A much, much higher level.

In the Pacers’ restart opener, Warren went off for a career-high 53 points (20-of-29 FG, 9-of-12 3PT, 4-of-4 FT) to lead Indiana to a 127-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Warren followed that up two days later with a 34-point, 11-rebound, four-assist, four-block, and three-steal performance in a 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards.

And one day after that, on Monday, Warren dropped 32 points — shooting an incredibly efficient 13-of-17 from the field — on the Wizards in a 120-109 win. He scored 21 points in the first half without missing a shot.

Warren has scored 119 points over his last three games, tying Jermaine O’Neal (in 2005) for most points over a three-game span in Pacers history. He leads the bubble with 39.7 points per game, and is shooting 65.3% from the field and 60.9% on three-pointers.

Warren is the best player in the bubble right now, and if he can keep playing anything at all like he has through three games, the Pacers (42-26) will be a very dangerous team. The East is wide open, and we know it’s star’s league come playoff time.

Update: T.J. Warren keeps dominating in the bubble. On Saturday, he scored a game-high 39 points (15-of-22 from the field 4-) and nailed a three-point dagger, to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 116-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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