Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers preview: After three losses, Nets want a win

Indiana Pacers v Brooklyn Nets — Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Two losses to the Magic another to the Bulls and the good vibes from the West Coast trip are old news.

There’s much to be happy about for the Nets, despite being in the midst of a three-game slump. Prior to the losing streak, the Nets proved that they consistently beat really good teams around the NBA with an organic combo of playing hard and working together, instead of overreliance on talent and matchups. Also, the Nets young core continues to grow every day, with Dariq Whitehead being the next guy up following his 18-point performance against the Chicago Bulls. He’s not a bust people!

Tonight, Brooklyn will look to turn things around against the Indiana Pacers, who are coming off a loss of their own against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night.

Where To Watch

Catch the action at 7:30 PM on the YES Network and NBA League Pass.

Injury Report

Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain), Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery), Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain), and Jaylen Martin (G-League) will all be out. Want more? No you don’t, but Ben Simmons (left knee soreness), Cam Johnson (left ankle sprain), and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) are currently only questionable for Wednesday night’s outing.

For the Pacers, Aaron Nesmith (ankle), Ben Sheppard (oblique), Isaiah Jackson (torn achilles), and James Wiseman (surgery) will not play. It’s a back-to-back for Indiana.

The Game

If I am Coach Jordi Fernandez — spoiler alert, I’m not — I would feel good bringing my guys into this matchup with the Pacers, who are tied with the Nets and Bulls for eighth place in the Eastern conference with a 9-13 record. After a Cinderella conference finals run that was cut short by the ultimate champions in the Boston Celtics, the Pacers haven’t been the team they were expected to be.

While they are able to score, it’s the defensive side where the Pacers have been struggling. Within two months of the season, they are just 27th in scoring defense, 29th in field goal shooting, 18th in three point defense and 16th in forced turnovers this season. The Pacers are also 28th in total rebounds per game. With these dreadful stats, the Nets have the chance to open the floodgates, especially with shooters like Whitehead, Tyrese Martin, and hopefully Cam Johnson.

With Ben Simmons being shaky for this game, the Nets are going to have to rely on another playmaker (most likely Schroeder) to find openings in the defense so that the Nets can expose the Pacers’ defense and shoot them out of the gym. Trendon Watford can also be a candidate for this role with his ability and craftiness to get to the rim.

It’s a big game for the Pacers. Losing to the Raptors and Nets back-to-back would just be another blow to the team and their fans. In fact, they have now lost three straight overall and seven straight on the road and are one of only three NBA teams with at least 10 losses away from home.

Player To Watch: Tyrese Haliburton

Haliburton will be a tough cover tonight. Not just because he is an all-NBA type of player, but because he’s 6’5”. The Nets will have to find someone to defend Haliburton who matches his length while also being able to thwart that quick first step. Haliburton is currently averaging 17..6 points and 8.5 assists — sixth in the league — on 42/34/86 splits.

All Haliburton’s numbers are down, other than his free throw shooting from last year when it looked like he was about to make a big leap. For the 2023-24 season, the then 23-year-old averaged 20.1 points and 10.9 assists, his second straight season in double-digits. His shooting percentages too were higher at 47.7% overall and 36.4% from deep.

If Indiana is to win in Brooklyn and get out of their rut, Haliburton needs to lead them. Last night, although the Pacers lost north of the border, Haliburton’s performance was encouraging. He looked fresh, dropping 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep. He also got to the line seven times making six.

From the Vault

Indiana of course is also home to the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, the all-everything WNBA guard. Two days ago, the W released its season schedule and the defending champion Liberty will play the Fever on July 16 at Barclays Center. (It will be warm then.)

The Libs also released the latest in his continuing series of videos featuring Ellie the Elephant. It’s a fun one.