Nets Comeback Falls Short Against Pacers

By Fansided and Charles Daye/FanSided via Nothin' But Nets
Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:06 a.m. ET

IndianaPacers106

The Brooklyn Nets‘ losing streak extends to eight as they lose their 11th straight home game 106-107 to the Indiana Pacers. The Nets fall to 9-41.

Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson rested Bojan Bogdanovic and gave rookie Caris LeVert his first NBA start against the Pacers.

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Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 23 points and six rebounds. LeVert only scored four points (1-9 shooting) in his first start but had five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Paul George had the game-high 24 points with 11 rebounds to give him a solid double-double in Brooklyn, his fourth of the season.

The brothers Isaiah Whitehead, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and LeVert got the start with Lopez and Foye. Foye started but more to add stability to the young Nets lineup. The Nets started off cold, allowing the Pacers to go on an 8-0 run before Atkinson called the time out as Brooklyn trailed Indiana 14-4, just four minutes into the game. Nets shot 25 percent from the field in the first quarter to trail the Pacers 27-16 at the end of one.

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    Brooklyn outscored Indiana in the second quarter, 30-29 but failed to ever take the lead. Lopez shot 5-7 in the first half to lead the Nets with 12 points. Joe Harris contributed 10 points off the bench. The rookie backcourt of LeVert and Whitehead failed to score in the first half, shooting a collective 0-7. Brooklyn shot 39.5 percent from the field, 33 percent from three and turned the ball over 10 times, to trail Indiana by 10 at half, 56-46.

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    The Nets actually won the third quarter, 28-24 but still trailed 80-74 at the end of three. Brooklyn, in a comeback attempt, cut a 19 point lead down to six with much help from the bench. LeVert continued to show and prove into the final quarter cutting the Pacers’ lead down to one. Quincy Acy came into the game and hit the go ahead shot to give the Nets their first lead of the night, which would be short lived.

    LeVert controlled much of the Nets offensive pacing from his intensity on defense, steals (including a nice strip on George) would lead to fast break points and scoring in transition. Brooklyn’s lack of a true point guard became apparent in the final minutes of the fourth as the Nets struggled offensively. The defense was there tonight, but the offense was not.

    The loss extends Brooklyn’s losing streak to eight games. The Nets’ next game is at home against the Toronto Raptors on Super Bowl Sunday.