Matchup
After a tough pair of games against the 76ers, the Pacers (25-56) will attempt to end their season on a high note when they take on the Brooklyn Nets (43-38) Sunday afternoon. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN as Indiana looks to interrupt Brooklyn's current three-game winning streak.
A topsy-turvy season will come to an end for the Pacers after Sunday's bout. But they do have a chance to fiddle with the play-in tournament seeding if they win. The Nets sit in the seventh seed — tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Pacers steal a win and the Cavs beat Milwaukee, the seedings would flip. If both teams lose, Atlanta and Charlotte have a chance to climb into higher seeds.
Sunday's matinee match will also allow a large audience to see a glimpse into the Pacers' future. Tyrese Haliburton shined once again for Indiana on Saturday, collecting 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He also dished out nine assists. Additionally, Isaiah Jackson played spectacularly against Joel Embiid and tallied 16 points in 30:28.
With the Nets hoping to secure a high play-in seed, they will most likely roll out their star-studded lineup against the Blue & Gold. Kevin Durant (30.1 points, 74. rebounds, 6.2 assists per game) and Kyrie Irving (27.2 points) will provide Haliburton and Oshae Brissett a tough defensive challenge. Seth Curry also has shined for Brooklyn, averaging 42.2 percent from three. He and Buddy Hield (36.6 percent from 3-point range) could go toe-to-toe on Sunday, which would give fans an exciting show during the final day of the NBA regular season.
Projected Starters
T.J. McConnell
Tyrese Haliburton
Buddy Hield
Oshae Brissett
Isaiah Jackson
Kyrie Irving
Seth Curry
Bruce Brown
Kevin Durant
Andre Drummond
Pacers: PG - T.J. McConnell, SG - Tyrese Haliburton, SF - Buddy Hield, PF - Oshae Brissett, C - Isaiah Jackson
Nets: PG - Kyrie Irving, SG - Seth Curry, SF - Bruce Brown, PF - Kevin Durant, C - Andre Drummond
Injury Report
Pacers: Goga Bitadze - questionable (sore right foot), Malcolm Brogdon - questionable (sore lower back), Jalen Smith - questionable (sore left groin), Chris Duarte - out (sore left toe), Nate Hinton - out (health and safety protocols), Ricky Rubio - out (torn left ACL), Myles Turner - out (left foot stress reaction), T.J. Warren – out (left navicular fracture)
Nets: Goran Dragic - out (health and safety protocols), Joe Harris - out (left ankle surgery), Ben Simmons - out (return to competition reconditioning/sore back)
Last Meeting
Jan. 5, 2022: When these squads last met, all eyes were on Pacers folk legend Lance Stephenson for his first game back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. And the guard proved he was "born ready" by putting on a show for the fans. The 31-year-old dropped 20 points in the first quarter en route to setting a new Pacers career-high 30 points. The start gave Indiana a 19-point edge over the heavily-favored Nets early in the contest.
Unfortunately, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving proved why they rank among the top NBA players of this era. The trio helped Brooklyn rally in the second half and pull away late for a 129-121 victory.
But Stephenson provided every Pacer fan with extreme joy despite the loss. The now 10-year NBA veteran brought new life into a Pacers team that desperately needed it. He checked into the game with 6:23 left in the first quarter, a standing ovation behind him, and never looked back. He pulled up and drilled a 3-pointer at the 5:11 mark to start his scoring spree.
He secured the Pacers' franchise record for scoring in the first quarter, finishing the stanza 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. It helped earn a 73-60 halftime lead for Indiana.
But Brooklyn closed the gap in the third quarter to single digits. In the fourth quarter, Irving capped an eventual 25-5 run with a pair of jumpers. Brooklyn led 111-106. Indiana cut the gap to three with 3:54 remaining on a Domantas Sabonis triple. Unfortunately, they never came closer than that again for the game. Sabonis finished with a team-high 32 points for the Blue & Gold.
Noteworthy
- Indiana is looking to avoid a 10-game losing streak.
- The Pacers have lost six consecutive games to the Nets.
- Nets guard Seth Curry played under Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle for two seasons when Carlisle was the head coach of the Mavs (2016-17 and 2019-20).
Tickets
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Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (studio host)
ESPN - Mark Jones (play-by-play), Jeff Van Gundy (analyst)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)