National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers Pre-Game Report 10/28/16

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Apr 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Markel Brown (22) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) and forward Lavoy Allen (5) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

After dropping their first game against the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets face the Indiana Pacers at home tonight at 7:30 PM.

The Brooklyn Nets return to the Barclays Center tonight for their first home game of the season. Brooklyn is coming off a short loss to Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. The Nets made strong efforts for a comeback in the final minutes of the game, but they weren’t enough. It’s always tough to open up the season on the road, and now, they’ll have the crowd on their side back in Brooklyn.

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Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers are coming off a hard-fought victory against the Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers’ season opener went into overtime, and both teams scored over 100 points in the matchup. They’ll be feeding off this energy heading into Brooklyn, and Indiana has always been a fierce competitor in the past few years.

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A familiar face also returns to the Barclays Center: Thaddeus Young. The 28-year-old spent one-and-a-half seasons in Brooklyn and was a fan favorite (or at least he was in my heart). This offseason, the Nets traded Young to the Pacers in exchange for first-round pick Caris LeVert, who still has yet to hit the hardwood. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Nets suffer during the season without Young, and we can expect some cheers for him in Barclays tonight (I will certainly be cheering).

In addition, the Nets will de debuting their “Brooklyn Remix” jerseys, so keep an eye out for their flaming hot unis.

Let’s take a look at the matchup between these two Eastern Conference teams.

Mar 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Indiana Pacers center Jordan Hill (27) keeps Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) from a shot during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 120-110. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Nets’ Keys to Victory

Strong Performance From Bench: The Nets’ bench was one of the few bright spots in Wednesday night’s loss, as it was almost on par with Brooklyn’s starters in scoring. The starters finished with 59 points compared to the bench’s 58, which is startling on the bench’s part. Justin Hamilton was the big surprise, finishing as the team’s second leading scorer in the game with 19 points. He also led the Nets in rebounds with ten. Hamilton has not been impressive on the boards in the preseason, but his performance in the season opener shows he could be just who the Nets need as a stretch five. Joe Harris and Sean Kilpatrick also added 16 points and 13 points, respectively. Another great performance from the bench will keep Brooklyn competitive in the game, as evident by the Nets’ strong push for a comeback late in the prior game.

Ball Movement That Contributes to Baskets: Boston held the advantage to the Nets in assists Wednesday night, 36-22. Heavy ball movement by the Celtics and poor defense by the Nets were what helped Boston maintain a sizable lead for a majority of the second half. The Nets need to do a better job at moving the ball to lead to easier baskets rather than rely on shots from behind the arc. Trevor Booker led Brooklyn in assists with five, while the Nets’ floor general, Jeremy Lin, only had three. If the Nets want any chance of winning tonight against Indiana, they’ll certainly need Lin to lead to more plays and as a team, they’ll need an uptick in assists.

Better Defense: We saw close to no defense from the Nets in their last game, and this was Brooklyn’s main flaw that contributed to their loss. Three-pointers kept them in the game in the first half, as they only trailed by six, 64-58, at halftime. However, with their treys not falling in the third quarter and their lack of effort on the defensive end, Boston was easily able to pull away. This “softer than cotton candy” (thanks Zach) defense cannot stay if the Nets want to remain competitive this season.

Players to Watch

Next: Lineups & Injury Report

Mar 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reaches for the net during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 120-110. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Starters

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Pacers:

Injury Report

Nets:

Pacers:

Key Matchups

Other Notes

The game will be broadcast on YES Network, with pre-game beginning at 7:00 PM EST. Join the conversation by tweeting @NetsBlogFS.

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