Game Rewind: Pacers 110, Nets 120

Despite a solid offensive performance, the Indiana Pacers fell to the Brooklyn Nets, 120-110, at the Barclays Center. The Pacers scored 66 points in the first half, tying a season-high, but couldn't contain Brook Lopez down the stretch to leave the East Coast with a win.

Indiana led by eight heading into the fourth quarter, but Brooklyn used a 12-1 run to take the lead, 101-100, with 6:19 remaining. The Nets extended their advantage to four with 4:26 to play.

As the fourth period entered its final stages, Indiana cut the deficit to just a point twice, but Lopez, who scored 14 points in the final period, answered each time, giving the Nets a 113-110 lead with 1:00 left.

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The dagger came in the form of a Bojan Bogdanovic triple, which pushed the lead to six with 38.7 remaining and clinched the game for the home team.

Indiana looked great in the early going, as the opening period belonged to Ian Mahinmi and Paul George. Mahinmi scored 12 first quarter points, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. George, battling a right leg contusion, added 10 points.

Behind the play of Mahinmi and George, the visitors led 29-21 with the quarter coming to a close, but a quick 5-0 spurt by the Nets made the score 29-26 as the teams headed into the second.

In the second quarter, C.J. Miles had the hot hand, scoring eight points in the early going, including two triples. Miles' play helped the Pacers take control of the contest, and a Rodney Stuckey 3-pointer gave Indiana a 44-30 lead with just under eight minutes to play.

But Indiana had trouble closing out the period. Brooklyn cut the 14-point lead to five with 2:08 left, thanks in part to a 7-0 run that happened in just 92 seconds. When the quarter was over, Indiana held a 66-60 halftime advantage.

In the third, Brooklyn retook the lead with 9:14 remaining on a Bogdanovic triple, but Indiana responded after a timeout. A couple of quick buckets gave Indiana the lead once again, and with 5:24 to play in the third, the Pacers found themselves ahead, 76-73.

From there, Indiana found its offensive groove again. The Blue & Gold put together a 10-2 run to lead 86-75 with 3:59 to go in the third. Brooklyn was able to make a little headway into Indiana's advantage though, and heading into the final period, Indiana led 93-85. Brooklyn outscored Indiana 35-17 in the final quarter to grab its 21st win of the season.

George led the way for Indiana with 27 points. Mahinmi finished with 18 points, and George Hill added 17.

Lopez did most of the damage for the Nets, finishing with 23 points and nine rebounds. Bogdanovic scored 18, including four 3-pointers, and Sergey Karasev ended the night with 17 points.

Bojan Bogdanovic's +/- rating of +22 was the game's best.

Ty Lawson's four rebounds were the most he's had since donning the Blue & Gold.

Monta Ellis only attempted four shots. It's the least amount of shots he's taken since he only attempted one in a 123-111 loss to the Portland Trailblazers on December 3, 2015.

"We turned the ball over too much. We fouled like crazy, and we didn't control Brook Lopez, neither one-on-one nor with double teams. Brooklyn ramped up their energy, and we didn't handle it. You have to handle pressure if you're going to play on the road and get a W. We all need to be at our best." -Pacers head coach Frank Vogel

"Yes, it is. But at the same time, we have to move on. We play well against some really good teams and it's no knock on Brooklyn – they came out and played hard, but it's a bad loss. The bigger picture is that we'll be better than that." -Paul George on whether it's concerning to lose to a team like Brooklyn

"Shots were just falling, you know. That didn't happen for the first three quarters, but I still try to stay aggressive, stay confident, make plays elsewhere. And then, the guys showed a lot of confidence in me. They kept coming to me, and I tried to judge what the Pacers were doing to make plays out of that." -Brooklyn center Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. He was a very efficient 9-of-13 from the free-throw line on the night.

The Pacers return home to face James Harden and the Rockets in a critical game for Indiana's postseason hopes on Sunday night at 6 PM. Find Tickets »