The Nets performed with out Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and others in Monday’s 113-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Heart. Few shot-creators. Fewer family names.
Brooklyn began Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton. And as you’d most likely count on, Brooklyn discovered itself down 16 factors at halftime and was taking pictures simply 34.8% from the sector and 31.6% from 3-point vary with eight turnovers. Indiana had three gamers in double figures within the first half whereas the Nets, paced by Williams and Martin, had none.
Nonetheless, typically the scariest opponents are a bunch of men with one thing to show and nothing to lose. These Nets stored chipping away.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez is all the time preaching about “Brooklyn Grit”, and it was on full show within the third quarter, because the Nets restricted a wholesome Indiana workforce to 31.8% taking pictures (2-for-11 from deep), transformed on 52% of their makes an attempt, dominated the glass and closed interval on a 12-0 run to chop their deficit to eight coming into the ultimate body.
Clowney scored 9 of his 14 factors in a third-quarter run the place he went 2-for-2 from deep. Fernandez performed 9 guys within the interval, and all however Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe received a bucket. The Pacers led by 24 factors two minutes into the second half, so Brooklyn deserves some credit score for combating again.
“I was very, very proud of them and the way they played all the way through,” Fernandez stated. “Just kept fighting until the end.”
Nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient. Indiana wakened and received the fourth quarter 35-29 to earn its nineteenth win of the season. The Nets’ willingness to scrap and do the little issues is what stored the sport shut for some time. They outrebounded the Pacers 51-35 and had a 33-8 edge in second probability factors, courtesy of 20 offensive rebounds.
Sharpe set a brand new season excessive with 13 complete rebounds, 9 of which had been on the offensive glass.
“You better box me out,” Sharpe stated. “You 7-4, you 7-5”, it doesn’t matter, you higher field me out. I really feel like I can do it in opposition to anyone, regardless of how a lot you weigh or how tall you might be.”
Brookyln simply ran out of firepower ultimately. Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 and 20 factors, respectively, and Pascal Siakam added 19 factors. Sharpe was the Nets’ main scorer with 16 factors off the bench in a 41.8% workforce taking pictures effort, and that ought to inform you every thing it’s good to learn about how efficient their offense was Monday evening.
Brooklyn additionally turned it over 14 occasions, which gifted the Pacers 23 factors. It failed to attain 100 factors for a second straight sport, falling to 13-23 this season 0-2 in its present homestand.
Dariq Whitehead, who was known as up from the G League after Brooklyn’s newest slew of accidents, performed simply three minutes in rubbish time and knocked down a 3-pointer.
The Nets will return to motion on Wednesday in opposition to the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Heart.
Initially Revealed: January 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM EST
