Philadelphia 76ers 121-127 Indiana Pacers - Twitter lauds TJ Warren as his 50-point game overshadows a monster outing from Embiid| NBA 2019-20

In a game with far-reaching consequences for the state of the Eastern Conference standings, the Indiana Pacers went head-to-head with the Philadelphia 76ers. This was both teams' first game in the NBA bubble.

Both the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers had a 39-26 record going into the game, but the Pacers were higher up in the standings owing to their superior division record.

The Indiana Pacers received a shot in the arm as Victor Oladipo was cleared to play, and the former All Star was featured in the starting five. This was big for them given the fact that Malcolm Brogdon was ruled out from the faceoff against the Philadelphia 76ers with a neck injury.

The Philadelphia 76ers had injury problems of their own with doubts about Embiid's fitness, but the Cameroonian was given a clean bill of health on Friday.

Twitter reacts to Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers

The game started off with the Philadelphia 76ers running out to a 14-6 lead. But they were soon pegged back as they ended the quarter down 35-27, and they entered the locker room 6 points down at 61-55.

A strong 3rd quarter showing saw them take a 6-point lead into the 4th quarter. Unfortunately for them, despite Myles Turner fouling out, the Indiana Pacers' guards and TJ Warren's offense proved too hot for the Philadelphia 76ers to handle.

The Pacers put the fan from The Last Dance on the video board 🤣

(via @Pacers, h/t @JasmineLWatkins) pic.twitter.com/r7uDBUdad8
— ESPN (@espn) August 2, 2020

👎🏻 Sixers lose NBA Restart Opener vs Pacers; Sixers fail to get within 5 seed in East @6abc #Sixers pic.twitter.com/B8i8FFfAqG
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) August 2, 2020

ALSO READ: Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers Prediction and Match Preview - 1st August 2020

TJ Warren was expected to be the Indiana Pacers' primary scorer on the night, and he wasted no time getting into rhythm. After the Philadelphia 76ers got to an early 8-point lead, Warren's shooting turned the game on its head. The Indiana Pacers headed into the first quarter break with a 35-27 lead, with Warren getting 19 of those himself.

TJ Warren treating Ben Simmons like a traffic cone pic.twitter.com/OEs4lYBpNn
— Tony Diavolo 😈🌶 (@Anthony_Capelli) August 1, 2020

So y’all just gon let TJ warren cook y’all every game pic.twitter.com/bQyfKJ0TLn
— J-Guap🌪 (@J_guap4) August 1, 2020

TJ Warren every time he plays the sixers pic.twitter.com/wWNMbpqMLi
— Will🦅 (@simmons_szn) August 1, 2020

The adulation poured in for TJ Warren the same way as he poured in the buckets on the night. Warren finished with 53 points, the highest points total by a player in the NBA bubble, and the highest score by a Pacer since Jermaine O'Neal.

TJ WARREN WITH THE FIRST 50 PIECE IN THE BUBBLE 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/UJlUJTaOh4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 2, 2020

Players with 50+ points while taking fewer than 5 free throw attempts since 2010:

- Steph Curry
- Klay Thompson
- TJ Warren pic.twitter.com/pqkHcRhZxb
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 2, 2020

Most Points in a game in Pacers NBA History:

1. Reggie Miller - 57
2. Jermaine O’Neal - 55
3. TJ Warren - 53

Pacers win 127-121. A historic return.
— Pat Boylan (@PatBoylanPacers) August 2, 2020

TJ Warren vs the Sixers:

53 PTS
20-29 FG
9-12 3P

He is the first Pacer to drop 50 in a game since Jermaine O'Neal in 2005. pic.twitter.com/O8eCrTAbww
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 2, 2020

Warren pulled no punches in the post-game interview, calling out the Suns' stinginess in trading him for cash considerations.

"I'm ready to show the whole NBA—and not just the Suns for making the wrong decision—that the Pacers made the right decision. I'm worth more than cash considerations. It's on me to prove it. But the Suns messed up."

🗣 Real talk @TonyWarrenJr pic.twitter.com/ssKkLaJyse
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 2, 2020

I will never forgive the Suns for this. pic.twitter.com/b8ruCIvZtT
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 2, 2020

The Philadelphia 76ers were no slouches in this game. Joel Embiid put up a monster 41 point, 21 rebound performance, while Tobias Harris went off for 30 himself.

#Sixers Joel Embiid records his second career 40/20 Game. Both in a loss vs @Pacers #NBA
— Kevin Cottrell Jr. (@KCJ_Swish) August 2, 2020

NBA Twitter spotted a few refereeing infractions - namely on the 8-second rule that they failed to apply on a couple of occasions in clutch as the Sixers applied a full-court press.

Is there no such thing as an 8 second violation anymore? Seen 2 of them tonight and no whistle was blown to stop play #sixersvspacers
— Alex Ramos (@arod830) August 2, 2020

Philly's starting guard Shake Milton was also the butt of NBA Twitter's jokes.

Shake Milton really chested up to Embiid in a game only to have 0 points and 3 turnovers???? pic.twitter.com/HoTnVkmfbo
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) August 2, 2020

It was a night of despair for the Sixers, all said and done.

Sixers to Brett Brown the second their season ends pic.twitter.com/0xSZl7uIP9
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) August 2, 2020

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