3 Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets bounce back win vs Indiana Pacers

The Nets got back in the win column and lot of their success came from the bench.

After being victims of a back-to-back Monday night vs the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets had no sympathy for the Indiana Pacers, who were cast into that role last night at the Barclays Center.

While they didn’t have rest, the Pacers did have desperation on their side, having lost three in a row and seven straight on the road, sporting a 9-13 record, and by consequence, a rather weak case that their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year was anything other than Fugazi.

The Nets couldn’t have come into this one in a more opposite position. With little-to-no media expectations, picking up wins here and there like daffodils in a field, they’re frolicking around the mid-to-low end of the Eastern Conference standings right now. They have a bushel of draft picks and cap space in their back pockets as well.

As our game recap and your psychiatrist would tell you, the stress-free approach is more advantageous. Brooklyn held on to beat Indiana last night by a 99-90 final score. Here’s what we learned.

Nets Play Smart, Adaptable Defense

During the upset victories in other time zones as well as the home shellings, the Nets have preached and practiced consistent ball pressure along with strong, yet controlled closeouts all season this year.

Last night, however, was a standout time to celebrate it. While the Indiana Pacers offense this year looks like a zombified version of their lively one from the last, they still came into the game with the means to run a five-out offense anchored by Myles Turner, who just so happens to be shooting 40% from deep on 5.3 attempts this year — both being career-highs.

Nonetheless, Brooklyn held Indiana to 43/24 slashes for the game. The Pacers were shooting a dreadful 22.2% from three at halftime, which allowed the Nets to seize a 16-point lead despite beginning the game just 1-of-9 from the field and 1-of-6 from range.

Much of Brooklyn’s perimeter defense came down to rolling the dice at the right times, gauging who was on the floor and where to direct their aggression…

“I think we were connected…obviously it goes with them missing stuff, I mean, those are things that you cannot control,” Fernández said. “But, you know, we were good overall.”

Indiana, cognizant of their poor luck from range, adjusted in the second half. Rick Carlisle likely remembered other teams have bludgeoned the Nets inside lately. With his team’s inability to heat up from deep, he pushed for an inside attack.

The Pacers took heed of his advice. To sum things up, Indiana had just 12 points in the paint during the first half before going for 14 alone in the third. There, the Pacers outscored the Nets 35-24 to make it a game once more…

Still, that left the Nets with enough time to cross-check in the fourth. By design or by effort, Brooklyn did exactly that, upping their inside pressure by collapsing faster and with extra aggression to establish a more fortified paint defense.

“That third quarter was the worst,” Fernández recalled. “And you understand they’ll respond. We couldn’t control T.J. [McConnell] getting into the paint, and they scored, they had a big quarter. But for the most part, I like how connected we were, our sense of urgency, communication, everything that goes into a defensive end that helps you win games.”

Win, they did. Brooklyn’s counter allowed them to win the fourth by a 24-20 margin and stave off the comeback attempt. Like Fernández said, the final score is the end-all-be-all, but the adaptability Brooklyn portrayed to seal the deal illustrates their versatility as a team and their coach’s skill at making adjustments on the fly.

Day’Ron More Versatile in Our Second Look

In his first game back vs Chicago, Day’Ron Sharpe was rather hard on himself, saying he “played [like] ass.” He finished the game with four points, two rebounds, and a block in sixteen minutes.

Tonight, he was hard on the Indiana Pacers, or at least on their scouting report, which surely didn’t have anything about him being a stretch big or dime dropper.

Only a few minutes into their first half burn, he and Ben Simmons played Freaky Friday on an alley-oop finish. Despite Sharpe being known as a rim-rocker (forget about that one he smoked tonight) and Simmons being one of this generation’s more prolific passers, it was Day’Day who threw it up for Ben10 to flush…

But Sharpe wasn’t done making eyebrow-raising plays after that. A few sequences later, he buried a corner three after Simmons returned the favor with an assist. In just five minutes, he had delivered two seemingly out-of-character plays.

Sure, two offensive possessions represent only a microcosm of the game we saw last night. All things considered, it was still a rather quiet night for Sharpe, as he finished with seven points, six rebounds, and a steal while shooting 3-of-6 from the field. But for him to pull not one but two rabbits out of his hat so early in his return to play is a positive sign for both his development as a fourth-year man and his confidence coming off the injury.

Deep is an Understatement

You may not have noticed, but the Nets had different guys out on the floor during crunch time last night. Rather than the usuals like Dennis Schröder, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, or the injured Dorian Finney-Smith, we saw Ben Simmons, Jalen Wilson, Trendon Watford, Shake Milton, and Sharpe come in to pitch the ninth.

There was no shortage of hustle, nor support during this run by Brooklyn’s bench mob, which catapulted the Nets back in front via a 14-2 run.

Simmons, Sharpe, and Watford were instrumental in tightening up Brooklyn’s interior defense. Milton and Wilson were like Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton, Jr., getting out in front of everyone to reel in points via the fast break.

Meanwhile, Schröder and other starters were in Fernández’s ear, encouraging the coach to rock with the aforementioned crew despite only Wilson being a starter that night. Schröder and company were in the right both from a basketball and team-building perspective.

“The coolest thing was … we have the starters on the bench. Dennis and them all told me ‘Just let them roll, because they’re in a good place.’ So that tells you that these guys are selfless, that they care about each other…Number one thing is to win as a group, so good for them. I’m proud of them.”

It’s one thing to have guys you can turn to for a few minutes into the first or to start the fourth quarter, but it’s another to have guys you can do so with the game on the line. The Brooklyn Nets may not have superstars, but they’re beyond deep.