Brooklyn Nets vs Indiana Pacers preview: Monday night hoops

Indiana Pacers v Miami Heat — Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets are looking to bounce back following a tough loss. Waiting for them will be the Indiana Pacers.

Ouch. The Brooklyn Nets returned home to begin the home part of the schedule in 2025. Unfortunately for them and the fans who made the voyage to Barclays Center, things got off to a rough start. The Philadelphia 76ers dominated the home team and cruised to a 29 point win.

The opponent tonight has had a rough go of it this season. Following a surprise Eastern Conference run last season, the Indiana Pacers have struggled for much of this season. Luckily for them, the East is underwhelming this season so they’re still in the playoff race. They beat the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night and are solidly in the play-in race.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.

Injuries

No Trendan Watford, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Maxwell Lewis. Cam Johnson is dealing with an ankle sprain and missed Saturday’s game. He will miss at least two more games before being reevaluated. Cam Thomas will be out for a while as he reaggravated his hamstring injury. D’Angelo Russell left Saturday’s game with a shin injury. He’s questionable. Ben Simmons was a late scratch on Saturday due to a calf issue. He’s questionable.

James Wiseman is out for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon. Isaiah Jackson is out for the season with a torn right Achilles tendon. Aaron Nesmith is out with a left ankle sprain.

The game

Brooklyn won the first meeting in December. The teams wrap up the series in March.

So I’m not sure what to think of Myles Turner. A big that is shooting a career best from 3-point range, can score in the post, and is a good rebounder? That sounds like a player everybody would want on their team. However, it just feels like something is missing with Myles. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

In the meantime, Turner will deal with Nic Claxton. Clax had a rough night against Joel Embiid and is looking to put a better outing together. The 76ers won the points in the paint battle, and for Claxton, he’ll need to send Pacers bigs and guards back as much as possible.

It’s good to see Ziaire Williams back. He’s back after missing a month due to an ankle injury. In his two games, he’s been able to fill up the stat sheet and will do his best to off-set the absence of Cam Johnson. He’ll get time defending Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin has gotten better each season he’s been in the league and is a building block of the Pacers’ future. For Williams, he’ll need to give the Nets a jolt of energy in order for them to keep up with the suddenly improved Pacers.

Player to watch: Tyrese Haliburton

Following up a career year is never easy. When you combine that with a brand new maximum contract kicking in, the pressure gets even higher. That’s the life Tyrese Haliburton is dealing with as he tries to get back to All-NBA levels. He’s gradually started to find his way back. In his past two games, he’s made 11 three pointers, handed out 23 assists, and committed zero turnovers. When he’s playing like that, Indiana’s offense starts to resemble the outstanding unit they were for most of last season. I need to read more about it, but it feels as if Haliburton has been off the ball a bit more than usual this season. It’ll be interesting to see how Rick Carlisle uses his franchise point guard the further we go into the season.

Who will run the point for the Nets? That’s the question Jordi Fernandez will have to figure out if Russell is limited or out entirely. New Net Reece Beekman figures to get plenty of playing time. As Fernandez said in postgame:

“Since he started in college, his ability to create turnovers, then deflections, and pressure the ball. I really liked how he keeps his chest in front of the ball and definitely I’m a big fan of pressuring the ball, that’s how you win a lot of NBA games, you create points off turnovers and turnover the possession game, so I’m happy with the way he played.”

The opportunities are there for Nets players. It’s up to them to make the most of it.

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