Nets blow 18 point lead and lose to the Pacers, 115-110

SB Nation

Get away day is always an adventure. Everyone’s trying to get on the road and on the way to their next destination. You’re constantly looking at the clock and hoping to finish up work as soon as possible.

In the NBA, the last game before an extended break is always hit or miss. And with a renewed focus on draft positioning, this get away day took on a whole new meaning.

Last night, the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks went to overtime in a gritty battle at Madison Square Garden. Indy came away with the win and snapped a four game losing streak. In the game preview, we expected some absences for Indy tonight. And a few hours before tipoff, we got an accounting for who would be missing:

The Nets had their share of absences as well as Nic Claxton (right hip soreness) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) were ruled out prior to game time.

Get away game and everyone’s looking forward to the time off. You’d think that would make for a sleepy night at Barclays Center, right? NOPE!

Brooklyn got off to a fast start as they built an early 13 point lead to end the first quarter. Day’ron Sharpe grabbed six early rebounds and looked like he was on track for a 20/20 game. After one, Brooklyn led 31-18 and had plenty of highlights for the home crowd.

Nolan Traore has been starting since the end of January and has been rewarding the coaching staff’s confidence in him.

Traore picked up his third 20 point game of the season as he finished the night with 20 points and eight assists.

The Nets built a lead as big as 18 points, but though they are severely depleted, the Pacers’ resilience shined through. They gradually chipped away at the lead before jumping ahead in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn got clutch plays from Traore, Sharpe, and Egor Dёmin to get them back in front by two points. However, the biggest shot of the game came from a rookie that’s only shooting 21 percent from three point range…

Brooklyn had one more chance to tie the game, but Dёmin’s catch and shoot wing three pointer was off-line and that spelled the end of the night for the Nets.

Final Score: Indiana Pacers 115, Brooklyn Nets 110.

After a good start on defense, the Nets allowed Indian to score 30+ points in each of the final three quarters.

“Only one quarter of defense doesn’t help in the NBA,” Jordi Fernandez said after the game. After th

“Starting with me, we all have to be better and I think we will.”

Even with the loss, the Nets came up winners in the area fans are most interested in:

Everyone hopes losses like these will lead to the biggest victory imaginable during Draft season. We’ll se how things go from here.

The Hall of Fame nominees are announced

Earlier in the evening, the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame announced the nominees for this year’s Hall of Fame class. This year’s nominees are a who’s who of basketball royalty:

Candace Parker
Elena Delle Donne
Kevin Johnson
Doc Rivers
Chamique Holdsclaw
the 1996 United States Women’s National Team

The Nets franchise appears a few times as former New Jersey Nets great Buck Williams is among this year’s finalists. Former Brooklyn Net Blake Griffin is also among the finalists for induction. Although Griffin was only on the team for 1.5 seasons, he was an integral part of the team’s success in the 2021 postseason and had one of the best games of his career in the epic Game 5 Nets vs. Bucks matchup in the semifinals.

Former Nets assistant coaches Mike D’Antoni and Amar’e Stoudemire are up for induction as well. Of course, those two were most known for their roles in the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns area that also featured… former Nets head coach Steve Nash!

Next up

Egor Dёmin is heading to Los Angeles for the Rising Stars Game this Friday night. The rest of the Nets are off for the All Star break and will return on February 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.