The Nets and Pacers face off one more time in Indianapolis.
It took a little extra, but there it went. The Brooklyn Nets took on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, and after a good battle, the Nets fell short by six points.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on the app. WFAN on radio. Tip after 5 PM.
Injuries
No De’Anthony Melton, D’Angelo Russell, or Cam Thomas. Ziaire Williams is questionable with right hamstring tightness.
Isaiah Jackson is out with an Achilles tear. Tyrese Haliburton is questionable with lower back soreness.
The game
Brooklyn won game one while Indiana took games two and three. This is the last time we’ll see Indiana in the regular season.
A two game mini series is great for rest purposes as the wear and tear from travel is reduced quite a bit.
Assuming Tyrese Haliburton is back on the court, we’ll see if he can get back to playing at an All NBA level. Since the All Star break, Tyrese is averaging around 22 points and 12 assists a night on .560/.486/.926 shooting splits. If he can play at this level from here on out, the Pacers have a chance to secure homecourt advantage in the first round for the first time since in a long time. For Brooklyn, they’ve got to make sure they keep Haliburton out the paint as he’s shooting a career best 75 percent inside of three feet. The Nets backcourt has been working hard defensively in recent weeks and figure to have their hands full today.
With Cam Johnson back, the Nets get some much needed scoring back. CJ got a rest day on Thursday so he should be able to pick some of the slack up for his teammates who had to pull extra duty on Thursday. Johnson and the Nets will try to slow down Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin has been starting in the absence of Hali, and he’s made the absolute most of it. The Pacers have a really solid wing duo in Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith and they give Rick Carlisle a variety of good options to work with. For Mathurin, the changing roles haven’t bothered him too much:
“As you may know, I’m a big believer in myself, right? So any situations that are put in front of me, I think I’m gonna thrive and I think I’ll be the best. So just being in those situations, to me it’s normal and there’s no pressure. It’s just going out there and being myself, because at the end of the day I’m trying to win.”
The Pacers are only three games behind the hated New York Knicks for the three seed. If Mathurin keeps it up, they might catch them.
Player to watch: Myles Turner
I love some antics with my basketball!
Trendon Watford instigate an altercation with the Pacers players out of nowhere.
Watford gets ejected, Turner & Myles receive a technical each.— MrBuckBuck (@mrbuckbucknba.bsky.social) 2025-03-21T01:27:46.927Z
For as enjoyable as that bit of silliness was for the people watching at home, it certainly wasn’t for everyone’s pockets. Turner, Andrew Nemhard, and Trendon Watford all got fined by the league office. An expensive lesson learned by all.
For Turner, Thursday was a big step forward and a reminder of the humanity that comes with a high pressure job. He spoke about in postgame and gave a really interesting answer:
“I needed to respond. The past two games I’ve played, Milwaukee and Dallas, I spent some time feeling sorry for myself just like, ‘Man, I got benched in the fourth quarter.’ I’m sitting here just upset. But then you realize that anybody can go off at any given moment. You give it up for the team. (Andrew Nembhard) makes a big shot. You go in there and pump him up. Obi (Toppin) is playing some of the best basketball I’ve ever seen him play. You give that energy back to him. You can’t spend time sulking and what not … I spent a lot of time this morning just reflecting and putting my mind to a different place.”
Having a great support system goes a long way and helps keep you in it when you feel like you’re starting to sink.
The Brooklyn duo of Nic Claxton and Day’ron Sharpe will do battle on the inside. They combined for 23 rebounds in their 52 minutes of action Thursday. Jordi Fernandez might need them to do a bit more as the Nets wound up losing the rebounding battle by ten. It’s a lot to ask, but they’ve both met the moment at various points this season. And going against a team that ticked you off should give just a little more motivation to capture the W.
From the Vault
We’re on the Road to Wrestlemania, so let’s throw it back to Mania VIII which took place at the Hoosier Dome!
Later today, St. John’s men’s basketball team will take on old friend John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks in the NCAA Tournament. The Johnnies won their first round matchup, which was their first Tournament win in 25 years. With that in mind, let’s take it back to that game
And in sad news, it was announced last night that boxing legend George Foreman passed away at the age of 76. In honor of Big George, let’s take a trip back in time to watch him win the World Heavyweight Championship
Rest well, champ.
More reading: 8 Points, 9 Seconds, Indianapolis Star, and SB Nation NBA