The Nets appeared to be punting this game in Indiana. Ultimately, they snatched it.
In front of 14,280 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on a night when Brooklyn was without eight rotation players — the majority of whom were being rested — a skeleton squad pulled off a surprise 136-133 victory.
The Nets (16-12) maintained the momentum from their 6-1 homestand, increasing their lead over the Pacers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference to 1 12 games.
Cam Thomas reminded the Pacers of his scoring power with a career-high 33 points, the most of which came in the decisive fourth quarter after scoring just 12 points in three very quiet quarters.
Day’Ron Sharpe tied his career-high with 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Pacers, while Edmond Sumner scored 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. His high-energy transition play kept his new club afloat in the early stages of the game, before they found their footing.
The Nets trailed by as many as 14 points and were down 120-118 with 4:15 remaining before a late 10-2 surge spearheaded by Thomas and Yuta Watanabe, who had missed 10 games with a hamstring injury.
Cam Thomas, who scored 33 points during the Nets’ 136-133 victory over the Pacers, takes a jumper.
Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, and T.J. Warren were all sidelined due to injury management, which is the new term for rest or load management. Kyrie Irving (left adductor strain), Nic Claxton (right hamstring strain), and Royce O’Neale (personal reasons) were injured.
Jacque Vaughn acknowledged, “Yes, it’s fascinating.” “Three or four men do this during the course of the entire season. … When viewed from a global perspective, the absence of two or three rotation players places strain and stress on two or three other players. Therefore, we are not in a position to completely care for the team.
“Up to this point, Kevin has led the team and the league in minutes played, thus that was the objective in handling this situation. Then we consider how it affects everyone else. And similarly, we can reach a point where we can look in the mirror the following week and be in good mental and physical health.”
The Nets have been worried about Durant’s workload. He led the league in minutes played with 994, while O’Neale was in second place with 971.
But on Saturday, an assortment of players performed admirably.
Sharpe, Sumner, Markieff Morris, Patty Mills, and Kessler Edwards received the starting positions.
Sumner’s three-pointer gave the Nets a 31-22 lead, but they surrendered nine unanswered baskets as part of a 31-12 run, and Tyrese Haliburton’s layup tied the game at 31.
Thomas’s free throw gave the Nets a 40-38 lead, but with 7:57 remaining in the half, Myles Turner’s offensive rebound put the Nets in a 10-point deficit.
Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter widened the gap to 94-80, prompting Vaughn’s astute strategy change.
Cam Thomas attempts a jump shot during the Nets’ victory.
In the absence of versatile defenders Claxton, Simmons, and Durant, the Nets’ switch-happy defense is ineffective, and they haven’t played drop coverage in years. Vaughn shrewdly deployed Edwards near the top of the zone.
The move paid off and helped the Nets regain control of the game. They ended the third with a 15-6 run and entered the fourth down by only 100-95 points.
David Duke Jr.’s powerful baseline drive tied the game at 105 apiece for the Nets after Sharpe had just thrown an alley-oop and then a devastating slam.
Nembhard’s three-pointer capped a 7-0 run for a Pacer lead of 112-105 with a brief Indiana separation.
The Nets trailed 122-120 before going on a 6-0 run to take the lead. It was tied by Thomas’ bucket, and Watanabe made one of two from the stripe. With 2:34 remaining, he retrieved his own miss and found Mills for a 3-pointer for a 126-122 advantage.
With less than two minutes remaining, Watanabe tipped back a missed shot by Thomas to extend the lead to six. They concluded the matter thereafter.
Mills added 24.
Haliburton scored 35 points to help Indiana fall to 14-13.
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