The NBA ‘Bubble’ Seeding-Game Awards

MVP: T.J. Warren, Indiana Pacers

In a bubble featuring superstars such as James Harden, Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo (among others), T.J. Warren was leading all players in scoring heading into Monday’s action.

Yes, the same T.J. Warren whom the Phoenix Suns salary-dumped last summer.

Warren kicked off his electric bubble performance by dropping a season-high 53 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in both teams’ opening game. In doing so, he helped the Pacers clinch the season tiebreaker over the 76ers, all but ensuring they wouldn’t slip below the No. 5 seed in the East.

Warren followed that up with a 34-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Washington Wizards two nights later, and he had 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting against the Orlando Magic the following day. After an off game in a loss against the Suns—16 points on 7-of-20 shooting and 11 rebounds—he bounced right back with 39 points on 15-of-22 shooting in an upset win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 26-year-old averaged 18.7 points on 52.9 percent shooting prior to the league’s shutdown in mid-March, so it isn’t as though his scoring prowess was a secret. However, he’s never before dropped 30-plus points four times over a five-game stretch until arriving in Orlando.

With All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis sidelined by a foot injury and Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon each missing at least one seeding game, the Pacers have needed every bit of Warren’s scoring outbursts to keep pace with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.