(PACERS RELEASE)
Shooting struggles and slow starts lingered as the Pacers opened their November slate of games by hosting the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Indiana couldn’t find its offensive groove, and fell to the Nets, 98-90.
Both teams seemed lethargic to start – by the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, the score was just 9-7 in favor of the Nets, and each team was shooting 3-for-10 from the field. Michael Porter Jr. knocked in two triples for the Nets in the initial five minutes of play, and got himself into rhythm early.
The Pacers, however, opened the game shooting 2-for-11 from 3-point range.
Pascal Siakam started to heat up down the stretch of the first quarter. He finished with seven points in the opening period, but five of those seven points came in less than a minute of game time. Indiana trailed after one, 20-19.
Brooklyn’s 20 points in the first quarter is the strongest defensive quarter Indiana has recorded this season, but the 19 points scored by the Pacers in the same frame also marked Indiana’s worst offensive quarter this season.
The second quarter was no less clunky, but Indiana started to navigate the chaos a little better.
Quenton Jackson connected on a 3-pointer with just over four minutes to play and gave the Pacers some life. Siakam knocked down a pair of free throws, a fast break layup, and kicked a pass to Jarace Walker for three, and suddenly Indiana’s momentum shifted.
Porter Jr.’s layup to beat the second quarter buzzer gave the Nets a three-point advantage at the half, 43-40.
The 43 points scored by the Nets in the first half again marked a season-best for the Indiana defense. However, the Pacers’ 40 points was, again, a season-low for the offense.
The Nets opened the second half with 10 unanswered points, and took their largest lead of the evening, 50-40. Back-to-back triples from Porter Jr. and Nolan Traore pushed Brooklyn ahead, and the Pacers needed a timeout to regroup.
The Nets’ advantage reached 12 points before Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Nembhard, and Jackson all knocked down critical 3-pointers as Indiana pushed to escape the double-digit deficit.
Although Indiana improved to 43 percent shooting from the field in the third quarter, the Pacers were still down nine points heading into the final period, 71-62. The Blue and Gold cut that deficit to three points just two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. Nembhard scored seven points in that same time, and Larry Nance Jr. knocked down his first 3-pointer of the evening to breathe life back into Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Brooklyn answered with a five point run, and regained control with eight minutes to go, 82-74.
Indiana trailed by 10 points in the final five minutes when Nembhard struck from deep again. Traore matched his triple on the next trip down the floor, but the Pacers kept pushing as Nembhard set up Jackson for another corner 3-pointer. Indiana was down, 94-87, entering the final four minutes of play.
Under a minute remained on the game clock when Nembhard drove hard to the rim, elevated, and floated a shot toward the basket. A whistle stopped play, and an offensive foul was called on Nembhard. The Pacers couldn’t overcome the deficit in the remaining 52 seconds, and Indiana fell to Brooklyn, 98-90.
Nembhard’s 23 points, three rebounds, and four assists led the Pacers, while Porter Jr. led the Nets with 23 points. Siakam recorded 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the loss, and was Indiana’s only player with a positive plus/minus (+4).
The Pacers shot 40 percent from the floor, and 37 percent from 3-point range despite the slow start. Brooklyn shot 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from deep. Neither team could find a flow – the two teams committed a combined 33 turnovers. Despite the 33 turnovers, Indiana and Brooklyn managed just four total fast break points.
“We’re just asking our guys to go hard, to be unselfish, to be aggressive, [and] to shoot the shots that are there,” coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “And look, we had some guys step in tonight and do some good things.”
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers lost the rebounding battle, 43-37.
The Pacers and Nets recorded a combined 33 turnovers. Indiana scored 17 points off Brooklyn’s 18 turnovers, and Brooklyn scored 11 points off Indiana’s 15 turnovers.
Each team recorded just two fastbreak points.
Indiana shot 20 percent from 3-point range in the first half, and shot 60 percent from deep in the second half.
You Can Quote Me on That
“We’re missing a lot of guys. That makes it hard…I thought we had quite a few good looks that just happened to not go down. From a process standpoint, you’ve just got to keep letting them fly.” – coach Rick Carlisle on Indiana’s offensive struggles
“There’s a lot of challenges right now, but that’s what this whole thing is about…It’s the NBA. Stuff is hard. We’ve all just got to work even harder at finding answers, finding ways.” – Carlisle on navigating lineup challenges with so many injuries
“The thing that we talked about before the game was the rebounds and ball security, and we lost the rebounds, and we were plus one on turnovers…The margins are slim for everybody, but when you’re down guys, they’re slimmer. So no excuses, this is part of it, and we’ve just got to figure out ways to do better.” – Carlisle on slim margins with players out
“The NBA moves quick. Flip the page tomorrow, come in and work…It’s very early. I think there’s still a lot of excitement about our group getting better and peaking at the right time.” – Andrew Nembhard on Indiana’s mentality during early season lulls
“I just think going forward, we just got to stick to the plan, stay process oriented. Keep shooting them. That’s the only way to get them to fall. Slow start, but you know it’s not about how you start; it’s about how you finish.” – Quenton Jackson on the Pacers outlook despite their slow start
Stat of the Night
Pascal Siakam was the only Pacer to have a positive plus/minus. Indiana outscored Brooklyn by four points in Siakam’s minutes.
Noteworthy
The Pacers are 118-86 against the Nets all-time.
Obi Toppin missed a second straight game with back soreness.
Andrew Nembhard recorded his second straight 20-point game on Sunday.
The Pacers debuted their ABA Classic court on Sunday against the Nets. The two teams also wore throwback ABA Classic jerseys.
Up Next
The Pacers will welcome Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 PM ET.
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