Can Brooklyn Nets Build on First Win of the Season?

The Brooklyn Nets finally got into the win column, and it could be a catalyst for their season.

Over the first couple of weeks of the season, the Nets were slowly but surely establishing themselves as the worst team in the NBA. Along with a fair share of blowout losses, the Nets consistently crumbled any time a game got close.

Finally, that misfortune ended on Wednesday night. The Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 112-103 in Indiana to secure their first win of the young season and had an impressive finish to the game.

With Cam Thomas sidelined for most of the night after suffering an injury, Michael Porter Jr. took control of this one. The former Nugget finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds in his first win with Brooklyn.

Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton gave Brooklyn some impressive production in the frontcourt, and it was just enough to push the Nets over the top. While a win in Indiana was a good accomplishment, given that Brooklyn hadn’t won a game yet, the Pacers are right there with the Nets at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

While Brooklyn would obviously take any win, beating Indiana and its injury-riddled roster isn’t necessarily a sign of progress. Of course, with a win out of the way now, the Nets could easily build on their performance in Indiana and even rack up some more wins.

Thanks to Brooklyn playing in the Eastern Conference, its schedule gets pretty easy over the next few weeks. While some games against the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks loom, the schedule lightens up after that.

In the beginning of a month-long stretch of only playing against teams from the East, the Nets are entering one of their easiest stretches of the season, with plenty of struggling teams on the slate. While the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans will break that stretch in early December, the Nets won’t be playing a West team that made the playoffs last season until they head to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Dec. 27.

While the Nets should have an opportunity to build on their win against the Pacers, it’s also important to remember that the team is set on tanking this season. But as long as the Nets can rack up some wins to build confidence and not significantly impact their lottery odds, no one will be complaining about more victories in Brooklyn.