Miami Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler and Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren are set to battle for the first time since their altercation in early January.
Los Angeles Lakers veteran Jared Dudley is one of the people looking forward to the highly anticipated matchup between the opposing titans.
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) August 10, 2020
The pair got into a scuffle during the Heat’s 122-108 victory in January. Both players traded barbs before Warren got ejected in the heated contest.
Now, both stars’ teams are jockeying for playoff position. The Heat are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Pacers hold the No. 5 spot. Both teams have identical records of 43-27.
Warren, 26, has been the surprising story of the NBA bubble in Orlando, Fla. The small forward is averaging a whopping 34.8 points per game in the bubble.
During the Pacers’ opening contest of the restart against the Philadelphia 76ers, Warren posted a career-high 53 points on 69.0 percent shooting from the field.
As for Butler, he has missed a few games since the Heat restarted the 2019-20 season. The Heat’s newcomer is putting up 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season.
Monday’s game between the Pacers and Heat is expected to be thriller.