Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was frustrated with the team’s effort on defense in the second half of Monday’s 128-102 road loss to the Chicago Bulls. He appropriately ripped his players at the podium postgame.
In Wednesday’s 99-90 defeat of the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center, they nearly let go of the rope again but stepped up on defense when it mattered most down the stretch.
While the Nets were once again without two regular starters in Cam Thomas and Dorian Finney-Smith, and two key reserves in Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams, they leaned on defense early, holding Indiana to 33.3% shooting in the first half despite shooting just 38.3% from the field themselves.
Brooklyn made nine of its 12 total 3-pointers over the first 24 minutes of action and turned 12 Pacers turnovers into 14 points. It added up to a commanding 51-35 lead at halftime despite poor team shooting. The Nets led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, their second-largest advantage in a game this season and their largest at any point in a first half this season.
“I think it started with our defense,” Shake Milton said. “We were in gaps and in our shifts, and our strategy is, we want to pick up 94-feet, we want to be aggressive, ball pressure. But when you’re doing that in the NBA, guys are good, so you have to have help, you have to have guys in the right position. We were doing that. We were stopping them. They were taking tough shots, and we were able to get the ball and run on offense.”
Cam Johnson had 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting in the first half (4-of-8 from deep) while no other Net had more than 10. No players reached double figures in scoring for the Pacers in the first half.
Similar to Monday’s loss, the third quarter was where Brooklyn lost control of the game. It was outscored 35-24 in the period. All of the sudden Indiana’s T.J. McConnell could not miss, and Tyrese Haliburton started to find his groove as well in a 63.2% team shooting effort. Johnson went 2-of-2 from deep in the third quarter but the Nets could not find much offense outside of him.
After giving up 12 points in the paint in the first half, the Nets surrendered 14 points in the paint in the third quarter alone. They clung to a 75-70 lead entering the final frame. What was once a 21-point advantage was shaved down to one with 9:16 left.
However, the Pacers could not finish their rally. Brooklyn — led by Milton, Ben Simmons, Trendon Watford, Jalen Wilson and Day’Ron Sharpe — responded with a 17-8 run to snatch back control of the game at 94-84 with 3:22 left. It cruised the rest of the way, fueled by the reserves.
“I wasn’t really debating,” Fernandez said when asked about his decision regarding who would close the game. “Because once those guys made their run, their teammates were the ones saying, ‘We’re not sitting them, they’re doing great. They’re making their run. Just stay with them.’”
Johnson led the Nets with a game-high 26 points 7-of-18 shooting (7-of-13 from deep). It was his ninth game with at least 20 points this season, and with another, he will tie a career best. It was also his fourth game with at least six 3-pointers. He is now the franchise leader in points scored without a two-point field goal.
“And let me just say it was not intentional by any means,” Johnson said.
Nic Claxton added 16 points and eight rebounds. Milton led all reserves with 15 points off the bench. Simmons finished with seven points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals and three blocks.
Haliburton scored a team-high 17 points for Indiana on 5-of-13 shooting.
This was the first game this season where Claxton, Sharpe and Simmons were all available. Sharpe had seven points and six rebounds in his second appearance of 2024-25. Sharpe (+22), Simmons (+20) and Milton (+21) each had a plus/minus of +20 or better in the win, a first for a Nets trio this season.
“Analytics people will tell you not to trust plus/minus, but I only use it as a positive, so I love it,” Fernandez said. “To me, it just tells you that those guys had a big impact, a positive impact on the game… Those three guys, especially closing the game the way they closed it, I couldn’t be happier for them.”
The Nets snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak and improved to 10-13. They will return to action on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center.
Originally Published:
