Indiana Pacers dominate the paint and cruise to win over Brooklyn Nets
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was the first meeting of the season between the two teams despite both groups having played 65+ games already in 2023-24.
Indiana lost a heartbreaking game on Wednesday, so they were hoping to bounce back against a team that has a much worse record. But throughout this season, the standings haven't meant much in terms of results for the blue and gold. They still needed to be ready and focused.
Across the first few minutes, both teams were making a few mistakes. There were multiple off-target passes, and it was just 5-4 after three minutes of play. Both squads had hopes of a better start.
Dorian Finney-Smith was an early weapon for the Nets. He was cutting hard to the rim and drilled his first outside shot, and he was up to seven points in just over five minutes. After his third made shot, Indiana took a timeout trailing 11-9. They wanted to regroup.
The stoppage didn't change the Pacers fortunes. They were down seven just a few minutes later as Cam Johnson hit a difficult triple for the visitors. The blue and gold were struggling from deep in the first eight minutes, and it was costing them early.
Indiana put a dent in Brooklyn's lead and chopped it down to two, but the Nets responded with a few baskets and were up by seven again not long after. The Pacers' struggles from long range (0/6 at the time) were holding them back.
They finally got an outside shot to go late in the frame, but they were down 30-25 after one period. Finney-Smith had seven points for the Nets while Aaron Nesmith led Indiana with eight.
Indiana looked more effective to start the second quarter, and they were able to trim the deficit down to two just 3.5 minutes into the second frame. They had a bench-heavy group on the floor, and it was working well.
But they weren't able to keep things close for long. Less than one minute later, the Nets had dropped in two outside shots and were ahead by eight. Every Pacers run was met with effective play from Brooklyn.
The blue and gold were playing good defense at the rim for much of the first half, and it finally paid off near the middle of the second quarter. They were able to reclaim the lead thanks to five-straight points at 46-44, their first advantage since it was 9-7. The Pacers looked zippy.
Both teams traded points, and the lead, for the next few minutes. It was a back-and-forth game, with the Pacers inaccurate shooting and the Nets frequent turnovers preventing either team from making a run. It was an obscure game.
At halftime, Indiana led 59-57. Both Nesmith and Pascal Siakam were up to 14 points for the Pacers, and their team was dominating the points in the paint battle 40-26. But their outside shooting needed to be better in the second half.
The third quarter felt nearly identical to the first half early. The Pacers missed more threes. The Nets had a pair of turnovers. Neither team could take control of the game. It was bumpy, and the Pacers were still up by two after three minutes of play.
Andrew Nembhard finally dropped in an outside shot for Indiana later in the frame, but it didn't change much of Indaina's fortunes. They were up 70-68 halfway through the period and took a timeout around that moment to regroup. This was a unique game for Indiana's season — few featured poor outside shooting yet dominant paint play.
In the ensuing stretch, Indiana finally went on a run. They got a few stops in a row and paired it with effective offense, scoring seven-straight points. Tyrese Haliburton attacked the paint and dropped in a few shots, and suddenly it was 77-68. The blue and gold put some energy into the building.
They took a double-digit lead moments later for the first time of the night, but they needed to keep pushing against a persistent Nets team. The blue and gold couldn't coast.
Behind some solid defense, they didn't and were up by 12 with two minutes left in the third period. Haliburton continued to make important plays as Indiana didn't let off the gas.
Brooklyn closed the quarter well, and they cut the Pacers edge under 10 in the final seconds. But the third period still favored the hosts 27-21, and they were ahead 86-78 at the time. Siakam was up to 18 points to pace his team.
The fourth frame started with great play from the home team again, who quickly got their edge back over double digits. They were defending well and putting pressure on the rim, and the Nets weren't able to punish that approach on either end.
Indiana's lead reached 16 at 99-83 early in the fourth quarter. It was their largest advantage of the game, but there was still enough time for a comeback. The Pacers had a rocky close to their most recent home game, so they needed to keep attacking
They did, and they were still up by double digits in the final minutes. Haliburton finally hit a three — Indiana's sixth of the game as a team — and the Pacers were up by as much as 19. They were close to putting the Nets away.
With two minutes to go, the Pacers were ahead 119-94. They were on the verge of victory after a crummy night against the Bulls earlier this week. It was an impressive response to a tough loss.
Indiana held on to win 121-100. They improved to 38-30 with the results and remained in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton finished with 14 points and seven assists. Siakam had 28 points and 11 rebounds. Nesmith finished with 16 points.
The Pacers next play on Monday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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