Less than 24 hours after one of their most physically draining games of the season, the Nets were back at it Saturday night in Indiana against a Pacers team 1.5 games ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn beat the Bucks in three overtimes at Barclays on Friday, by a 129-127 score, meaning they were probably pretty tired tonight.
Still, even with sore legs and a relative lack of sleep, the Nets were able to push through and beat the Pacers for Brooklyn’s fourth win in five games, bringing the Nets to within a single game of the No. 8 seed in the East. Brooklyn beat Indiana 123-111 on 61 percent shooting behind 26 from Brook Lopez and 21–on perfect 8-8 shooting–from Bojan Bogdanovic.
From the get-go at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it was clear this was going to be a shootout. The entire first quarter consisted of both teams exchanging baskets at a high rate, with Deron Williams–who was an afterthought for Lionel Hollins against Milwaukee–scoring 15 points in the frame and setting the tone for Brooklyn (he only scored two in the final three, and didn’t even play in the fourth).
The Nets took a 31-29 lead into the second quarter, in which their hot shooting continued. Brooklyn’s ball movement was incredible as Jarrett Jack was under control and finding his teammates with ease. Bojan was hitting shots left and right, Mason Plumlee was getting open looks right at the rim and Brook started drilling long jumpers the Indiana defenders were giving him.
Brooklyn led by as much as 12 points in the second–with a 61-49 advantage–as the scoring continued. However, a 7-2 spurt by the Pacers to end the quarter cut their deficit to seven points. Once again, the Nets had a double-digit lead and couldn’t take it to the next level to make the win an easy one.
It took Indiana less than five minutes in the second half to come back and tie the score, capping an extended 21-9 run that essentially neutralized the game’s momentum after Brooklyn held it for much of the first 28 or so minutes. The Pacers actually went up by as much as four in the third–thanks to six straight Roy Hibbert points–but the Nets fought to snag a one-point lead heading into the final quarter.
But, Brooklyn scored the first eight point of the frame to build a nine-point advantage, which would be cut into but also buoy the Nets for the rest of the way. The Pacers got within one point on two occasions, yet whenever they did, Joe Johnson (14 points) was there to hit a tough contested jumper and extend the lead. Eventually, down the stretch, the road squad was able to break away a bit as Indiana missed shots and Brooklyn made theirs. Simple stuff, but a second impressive win for the Nets in as many nights.
Assorted thoughts: There were a lot of positives from this game, but none was bigger than Bojan’s shooting. Whenever you’re perfect from the field, knock down a few big threes and even grab five rebounds to boot, you’re going to help your team win a game. He definitely did that tonight, and was probably one of the biggest reasons Brooklyn was able to hold off the Pacers. Finally, since the All-Star break, Bojan has shown incredible confidence in his shot and overall offensive game, which has been a huge boon to the Nets’ offense. He can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting ability but also punish defenses–as he did tonight–by attacking the hoop. The Nets found a stud with this guy….Brook, after his huge performance last night, continued to be nearly unstoppable on offense, even if his rebounding wasn’t as strong. He missed just three shots (took 14) and whenever Brooklyn went to him for a hoop, he seemingly was able to convert. This team is much, much better when it can rely on Brook to put points up in the post, regardless of the situation or who is guarding him. And if he can be a force on the glass? This team can be special….Bench, bench, bench. Brooklyn’s bench has been dominant the last two nights and tonight, had four guys reach double figures. Obviously, Bojan was great but Alan Anderson (11 points, six rebounds and four assists), Jarrett Jack (13 points, eight assists and zero turnovers) and Mason Plumlee (10 points and five boards in 16 minutes) all contributed big time during their playing time. Anderson actually played down the stretch instead of Thaddeus Young (presumably for matchup reasons) and was a huge pest on defense as well as being important on the boards. Jack, for the second consecutive game, got the fourth quarter time over Deron Williams and was smart and careful with the ball. Finally, Mason, who was key in the second quarter, had trouble getting rebounds over Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi but ran the floor well and finished extremely strong at the rim. That’s all Lionel Hollins needs from him….Brooklyn’s shooting slashline: 61.3/50/80.6. That’s called getting the job done. Enormous victory.
Onto the next one: Back at Barclays on Monday vs the Celtics, who are currently eighth in the East. Huge game.
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