Game Preview: Pacers vs Nets

Saturday, March 16 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

When the Pacers meet the Nets on Saturday night, it will have been roughly 15 months since they last faced off.

Saturday’s contest will look very different than the last time the two teams met Dec. 10, 2022. This is in part due to the fact both teams were active in the offseason and in making mid-season trades, but also because Brooklyn had eight players, including seven of its leading scorers and all five of its usual starters, sit out of its 136-133 comeback victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that night.

Since then, Indiana has added new key players to its roster, including Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker. In Brooklyn, the Nets added eight new players, including guard Lonnie Walker IV, in the offseason, and recently picked up Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Dennis Schröder through mid-season trades. Bridges and Johnson were involved in the blockbuster Feb. 2023 trade that sent 16-year pro Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

The sixth-place ranked Pacers enter the matchup following a 132-129 loss to the Chicago Bulls in their second game of a back-to-back Wednesday night. Myles Turner led the way for Indiana with 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, while Siakam added 17 points and nine rebounds and Haliburton contributed 17 points and 14 assists.

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Turner’s 27-point outing was his second game with at least 20 points this week, as he recorded 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the Pacers victory at Oklahoma City Tuesday night. Turner has now recorded 23 20-point games this season and has helped the Blue and Gold go 15-8 when he scores at least 20 points. The center has also shot 53.8 percent (35-of-65) from the floor over Indiana’s past five games, in which the Pacers won three of the five.

T.J. McConnell, who recorded 16 points on Wednesday, has provided a spark off the bench as of late by averaging 14.5 points over Indiana’s past six games and scoring in double digits in four of those contests. All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam continue to impress as usual, averaging 19.4 points and 18.4 points respectively over the past five games.

The 11^th-ranked Brooklyn Nets enter the matchup following a 114-106 loss to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night, which handed them their third loss over their last six games.

The Nets are led by the sixth-year pro forward Bridges, who is averaging career-highs in points (20.9 ppg), rebounds (4.7 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg) in his first season with the Nets. Eleven-year NBA guard Schröder, the newest addition to the team, is averaging 14.5 points per contest in his 15 games with the Nets.

Cam Thomas, who only made four starts last season, will be looking to start for the 37^th time this season on Saturday. The guard is averaging 21.3 points this season and has averaged 30 points over Brooklyn’s most recent two games since missing six consecutive games with a right ankle sprain.

Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Aaron Nesmith, F - Pascal Siakam, C - Myles Turner

Nets: G - Dennis Schroder, G - Cam Thomas, F - Mikal Bridges, F - Dorian Finney-Smith, C - Nic Claxton

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin - out (right shoulder labral tear), Doug McDermott - out (right calf strain)

Nets: Noah Clowney - out (G League assignment), Ben Simmons - out (left lower back nerve impingement), Dariq Whitehead - out (left shin stress reaction)

Dec. 10, 2022: Indiana suffered a surprise 136-133 loss to the short-handed Brooklyn Nets in the most recent meeting between the two teams last season. Though eight players were sidelined for the game, including seven of their leading scorers and all five of their usual starters, the Nets were able to pull off the win with a strong fourth quarter.

The Pacers held a 117-108 advantage midway through the fourth frame, but a 12-3 Brooklyn scoring run tied the game with less than four minutes remaining, forcing the game to come down to the wire. Brooklyn scored 41 points in the final frame to Indiana’s 33 points with the help of Cam Thomas’ 21 fourth-quarter points.

Despite the loss, Tyrese Haliburton had a career-night, recording a season-high 35 points and a new career-high seven 3-pointers. Six other Pacers ended the night in double-figures, including Buddy Hield (17 points), Myles Turner (16 points), Oshae Brissett (14 points), Jalen Smith (13 points), Bennedict Mathurin (13 points) and Aaron Nesmith (12 points).

Thomas led the way for the Nets with 33 points, while Patty Mills followed behind with 24 points. In addition, Edmond Sumner scored 21 points and Day’Ron Sharpe recorded 20 points. The Nets outrebounded Indiana 59-30 overall and 29-7 on the offensive glass.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

The Pacers continue their homestand by hosting Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, March 16 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>