Indiana Pacers: TJ Warren’s 50-point historic night was one for the ages

Looking back at TJ Warren’s historic night for the Indiana Pacers

Throughout these first few games we have seen in the NBA restart, one thing that has been constant in every game. We have seen a lot of rust on players. This is to be expected after not being able to play for four months. I know if I stopped writing for four months there would easily be rust on my fingers and brain. However, for Indiana Pacers forward TJ Warren, rust doesn’t exist.

The Pacers’ first game back is quite possibly their most important of the eight seeding games. Their opponent the Philadelphia 76ers is the team they have a tie with for the 5th seed, with a win would give them the season series and the tiebreaker if they were to be tied heading into the playoffs.

This game was a must-win for the Pacers if they wanted to avoid dropping to the 6th seed.

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Indiana entered this game shorthanded and lacking size. All-Star Domantas Sabonis left the Orlando bubble with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and has no time table for his return. Sabonis is a key part of what Pacers like to do on offense as he is one of the most dominant roll men in the league and an absolute unit inside the paint.

It’s almost impossible to replace a 6-foot-10 forward who gives you 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and five assists a game. The Pacers also were missing starting point guard Malcolm Brogdon as he injured his neck in the Pacers’ last scrimmage. Rookie backup center Goga Bitadze also missed this game with a knee injury. The Pacers lacking two of their tallest players and their starting point guard needed a spark from someone on the team.

Despite the injuries, the Pacers did receive good news before the game as Victor Oladipo said he was going to play. Oladipo got the start for the Pacers. As I was patiently waiting for the game to start I wondered to myself who is going to give us that spark we need to beat the 76ers? Could it be Myles Turner? Could it be Oladipo returning to give the extra push the Pacers need? Quickly after tip-off, it was clear where that spark was going to come from.

TJ Warren, this year, has been incredible against the 76ers. In their previous three meetings earlier in the season, he scored at least 20 points each time. The contest between the two teams on November 30th saw Warren score 29 points. Warren has been a matchup nightmare for the 76ers. This night would prove to be yet another example.

It didn’t take long to see that Warren was going to have a hot hand in this game. In the first quarter he had 19 points and by half time scored 29 points on 12-16 shooting from the floor. The Sixers had absolutely no answer for Warren. They would throw a combination of Ben Simmons, Jason Richardson, and Matisse Thybulle at him and were ineffective.

Two things impressed me with Warren’s performance. First was that he got to 53 points while only shooting four free throws. Getting to that number only shooting four free throws just proved he was getting any looked he wanted in the game. The second was his 3-point shooting. He shot 9-12 from 3-point range which is good for 75 percent.

Warren has always had the ability to score at the rim and has been deadly from midrange. His improved 3-point shot turns him into a complete scorer on the offensive end, being able to score at a high level in each area. TJ Warren is going to be an invaluable piece moving forward with the short-handed Pacers. Expect a lot of offense to be run through him.

TJ Warren’s historic performance put him into some elite company. He is only the third Pacer in franchise history to have a 50-point game. The only other players to accomplish this are Pacer legends Reggie Miller and Jermaine O’Neal. TJ Warren has forever cemented himself in Pacers lore.

This incredible performance came at the right time for the Pacers. With the win against the 76ers, the Pacers win the season series, securing the tiebreaker between both teams. Warren proved that even if the Pacers are short-handed he can provide the scoring punch the team needs to win. Warren’s 3-point shot has turned him into a better version of what Bojan Bogdanovic gave the Pacers last season. TJ might not be the 3-point sniper Bojan is, however, I think he gives the Pacers an extra dimension on offense with his ability to get to the rim and attack with his mid-range shot.

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The Pacers do play the Phoenix Suns and this could be another potential big game for Warren. The Pacers will most likely be shorthanded again with no Sabonis. Warren’s scoring touch will be needed again. Also, this is a revenge game for TJ Warren as the Pacers will go up against the Suns, Warren’s previous team. The Suns shipped Warren and the 32nd pick in last year’s draft to Indiana for cash considerations.

Unfortunately for the Suns those “cash considerations” aren’t going to give them any buckets.

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