Pacers-Nets Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 13 2013 12:42AM

Despite dealing with a coaching change, the Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of a strong stretch.

To win six straight games for the first time in nearly seven years, they'll have to end Indiana's own four-game streak on Sunday in Brooklyn.

Making things tougher, the Nets (21-15) might be without Deron Williams, who is the team's second-leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, after he suffered a thigh contusion in Friday's 99-79 win over Phoenix.

That victory marked Brooklyn's third straight by 20 or more points, the first time the franchise has accomplished that in its NBA history. The Nets are 7-1 since firing Avery Johnson and naming P.J. Carlesimo interim coach on Dec. 27. They had lost five of six before letting Johnson go.

"I think we went through some bumps and some rough patches, you know, which taught us," Williams said. "We are jelling a little bit more now."

While Williams is listed as questionable, Gerald Wallace has already been ruled out with bruised ribs. Wallace, who averages 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, landed hard when Phoenix's P.J. Tucker contested his dunk attempt in the first quarter. Replays showed Wallace landing on his right arm and shoulder but the team said that X-rays were negative.

MarShon Brooks was the primary replacement for Wallace and answered the call, scoring a season-high 17 on 5-of-9 shooting.

Brooklyn shot 6 of 13 from 3-point range in what was another improved offensive performance under Carlesimo. The Nets, who haven't won six straight since a 14-game run from March 12-April 6, 2006, are averaging 102.4 points with Carlesimo in charge, up from the 94.5 they scored in the first 28.

They've also held five of eight opponents under Carlesimo to fewer than 94 points, and limited Washington to 93 in regulation before taking a 115-113 double-overtime win on Jan. 4.

"We have just bought into what P.J. wants us to do on both ends of the floor," said Joe Johnson, who scored 19 despite being ill. "We are trying to get back to being defensive-minded and being the team we were when the season first started."

The Pacers (23-14) have won six of seven after a 96-88 home victory over Charlotte on Saturday. They were without leading scorer Paul George (16.9 ppg) due to illness, but are hopeful he will rejoin the team in Brooklyn.

Early on against Charlotte, Indiana - already the league's second-lowest scoring offense at 91.1 points - appeared as though it could struggle without George, falling into a 10-1 deficit. But David West registered his first triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, George Hill scored 19 and D.J. Augustin added 18 off the bench while playing nearly twice as many minutes as his average.

"We need Paul," Hill said. "But just like everyone else in Indianapolis is getting sick, it bit him too. We hope he has a speedy recovery but D.J. did a great job stepping in."

Aside from George being Indiana's best scorer, the Pacers would also like to have him because of his recent success versus the Nets. He's averaging 19.5 points while shooting 28 of 42 from the floor (66.7 percent) over his last four contests against them.

Indiana has won 13 of the teams' last 15 meetings.

Nets rally from 12 down in 3rd, beat Pacers 97-86

Posted Jan 13 2013 10:28PM

NEW YORK (AP) After falling behind by 12 points in the third quarter, the Brooklyn Nets used their smothering defense to shut down the Indiana Pacers in the fourth and get their season-high sixth straight win.

Deron Williams had 22 points and nine assists, Joe Johnson scored 20 points and the Nets rallied for a 97-86 victory over the Pacers on Sunday night.

Indiana, which had won four straight, was outscored 28-11 in the final period while shooting just 3 for 22 from the field.

"When it came down to it down the stretch we held them to one shot. We just `D'd' up," said Brooklyn's Brook Lopez, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the final quarter. He also finished with nine rebounds and two blocks.

David West had 27 points to lead the Pacers. Paul George added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Gerald Green also scored 15 points.

Green made two free throws against his former team to give Indiana a 67-55 lead - its largest of the game - with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Nets pulled to 75-69 by the end of the third, and began the fourth on a 26-8 run to take a 12-point lead on C.J. Watson's jumper with 2:08 remaining.

"We stopped executing and we lost our composure," West said. "We let them get going and put ourselves in a bad position. We got sloppy."

After Ian Mahinmi gave the Indiana a 77-73 lead with 10:56 remaining in the game, the Pacers did not score again until Green's two free throws with 6:41 left. They didn't make a field goal until West's basket with 4:45 remaining.

Indiana was issued two technical in the fourth - on George Hill and coach Frank Vogel.

"Clearly the officiating was getting to us," Vogel said. "That's all I can say about that."

Kris Humphries added 10 points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes for the Nets.

"We had Gerald (Wallace) out already and we had won five in a row," said Williams, who played despite a thigh contusion. "The last time we won five in a row we went 3-13 so this was a big game for us. We needed this game."

The Nets took a 27-18 lead on Williams' 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Brooklyn then struggled in the second, shooting just 9 for 25 (36 percent) as the Pacers took a 49-46 halftime lead.

"In the second half we got after it. We defended very, very well," Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said after improving to 8-1. "Our defense was great and the bench was fantastic. The defense fuels us."

Brooklyn beat Indiana for the second straight time after losing the previous 10 meetings.

NOTES: The starting lineups were announced in Russian as the Nets celebrated "An Evening of Russian Culture." Brooklyn's owner Mikhail Prokhorov is Russian. ... Damion Jones was signed to a 10-day contract by the Nets. He is Brooklyn's first NBA D-League call-up of the season. Jones played for the Nets in 2010-11 (25 games) and 2011-12 (7 games). ... Lance Stephenson, who starred at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, started for the Pacers but only played the first six minutes before injuring his right foot. ... Wallace was inactive for the Nets with bruised ribs.

Notebook: Nets 97, Pacers 86

Jake Appleman, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013 9:55 PM - Updated Sun Jan 13, 2013 9:55 PM

THE FACTS: Down 75-69 heading into the fourth quarter, the Nets proceeded to steamroll the league's best-rated defense and suffocate its offense, defeating the Pacers 97-86 Sunday on the strength of a 27-11 fourth quarter advantage. Deron Williams registered 22 points and nine assists for the Nets (22-15), dominating at times, while Joe Johnson (20 points) and Brook Lopez (15 points) stepped up in the second half. David West (27 points, six rebounds) led the Pacers (23-15).

QUOTABLE: "We stopped executing and we lost our composure. We let them get going early and once they got the ball rolling, the game slipped out of our reach."

-- David West

THE STAT: The Pacers shot 3-for-22 in the fourth quarter.

TURNING POINT: Behind Lopez, Johnson and Williams the Nets reeled off a 17-0 run early in the fourth quarter -- quickly turning an eight-point deficit into a nine-point lead.

QUOTABLE II: "It's a big test. A lot of our wins lately have come against sub-par .500 teams."

-- Deron Williams

INSIDE THE ARENA: It was "Russian Culture Night" at Barclays. Alexander Markov peformed the national anthem on a violin and the starting lineups were introduced in Russian by Oleg Kolomyets. Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was not present. ... Actor Jake Gyllenhaal sat courtside.

ROOKIE WATCH: Orlando Johnson played nearly 17 minutes for the Pacers, but did not score.

NOTABLE: West hit his first five shots from the floor. ... Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson started for the Pacers, but left the game after only six-plus minutes with a sore right foot. Former Nets player Gerald Green (15 points) started for Stephenson in the second half. ... Williams has now hit 32 consecutive free throws. ... The Nets' six-game winning streak is their longest since 2006.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Tuesday @ Charlotte, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday vs. Houston. For the Nets, Tuesday vs. Toronto, Wednesday @ Atlanta, Friday vs. Atlanta.

• Pacers: Granger, Plumlee
• Nets: Shengelia, Wallace

• Pacers: Hill, Vogel
• Nets: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 16499
• Duration: 2:06