Game Rewind: Pacers 140, Nets 131

Each quarter, the Pacers built what appeared a comfortable lead. And each quarter, the visiting Brooklyn Nets battled back.

But following a circus shot from Darren Collison with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the energy of the home crowd during the Pacers' season-opening game was enough to carry Indiana to a 140-131 win over the visiting Nets.

The game was filled with tense moments for the hosts during Opening Night presented by Kroger, with the feisty Nets keeping things interesting as D'Angelo Russell filled up the stat sheet with 30 points and five assists.

For the Pacers (1-0), it was newcomer Victor Oladipo who led the way offensively, scoring 22 points and setting the pace for Indiana by breaking out in transition and harassing opposing ball handlers on defense. Along with his team-high in points, Oladipo also recorded four steals, four assists, and five rebounds.

"We have speed that can get the ball down the floor and create open opportunities by Victor pushing," said Pacers head coach Nate McMillan after the game. "I thought both guards did a good job of running the team tonight."

When Oladipo reentered the game in the fourth quarter, the Nets had just connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 119-112 game with 7:13 left.

The offseason acquisition went to work, ripping down a rebound on defense from the grasp of a Nets player and firing a pass ahead to Bojan Bogdanovic, who converted on an and-1 bucket to light up the home crowd.

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While Oladipo did his damage with the starting unit, backup center Domantas Sabonis — who joined the Pacers along with Oladipo via trade in the offseason — was a leader on the bench unit, racking up 16 points and seven rebounds in his first regular season action with Indiana.

As shown during the preseason, Sabonis displayed a connection with Lance Stephenson — who finished with 16 points of his own — as the pair connected on a number of pick-and-roll baskets to keep the team afloat as the Nets rallied.

During the third quarter, Indiana began to grab hold of the game, breaking off a 10-0 run following a Nets basket that opened the quarter.

After Stephenson hit a runner in the lane, the Pacers' lead grew to a 94-82 advantage, their largest lead of the night at that point.

While a 3-pointer from Quincy Acy brought Brooklyn back within striking distance, Indiana managed a 5-0 burst to close the quarter strong, taking a 106-98 lead into the final quarter of action at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

In the fourth, the Nets once again made things too close for comfort, shaving their deficit to just four points in the final minutes of the game. Luckily for the Pacers, an impressive layup by Collison created separation once again, putting Indiana up by eight points with under a minute remaining in the game — a cushion that allowed the Pacers to secure a win in Game 1 of their season.

In the early going, it looked as if Indiana might turn its opening night into a blowout, establishing leads and running out in transition for high-flying dunks that electrified the crowd at the Fieldhouse.

Despite the Pacers growing their lead as large as seven points in the first quarter, Brooklyn's bench battled back in the game, taking the lead with less than a minute remaining in the quarter and owning a 30-29 edge entering the second frame.

In the second quarter, it was the same story, with the Pacers building what looked to be a large lead — this time nine points — only to have it erased in a matter of minutes with a 9-0 run from Brooklyn.

For the Nets, Russell was instrumental, scoring a team-high 16 points in the first half.

In the final minutes of the second quarter, Indiana used a fastbreak layup from Thaddeus Young and an offensive rebound and putback by Myles Turner — who finished his night with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks — to grab a two-point edge entering the locker room at the break.

In the second half, despite spirited rallies from the Nets, it was the Pacers who had the edge.

In new uniforms and on a new court with plenty of new faces, fans at the Fieldhouse saw a familiar sight, a #PacersWin on opening night.

"It was a great first night and hopefully Pacers fans get a chance to see what we're capable of and what type of basketball team we are," Oladipo said. "Obviously, it wasn't perfect and there are some things we want to get better and improve at; but it's always great to get a win in the NBA."

Three Pacers players finished with 20 or more points. Collison (21 points), Turner (21 points), Oladipo (22 points).

The Pacers won the turnover battle, forcing the Nets into 20 turnovers while committing 14.

Indiana did serious damage in transition, racking up 28 fastbreak points compared to 13 from the Nets.

"I'm going to try my hardest to do that consistently night in and night out, just go out and play the game and do a little bit of everything. I was just trying to set the tone on both ends. I have to do that night in and night out and I'm looking forward to doing that." -Victor Oladipo

"It was a good showing for us offensively. I think guys did a good job of doing exactly what Coach has been training us all summer to do, getting out on the break and being one of the best conditioned teams in the NBA. This early in the season you don't usually see teams pushing the ball the way we did and we got out on the break and got some easy opportunities." -Darren Collison

"I thought we completely broke down defensively, I wish I could sit here and say there was one area but it was a multitude of things starting with our transition defense…and then rebounding…guarding your man, keeping your guy in front of you...We didn't do any of those things, so it was a complete breakdown defensively." -Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson

The Pacers scored 140+ points for the first time since Nov. 9, 2010, when they earned a 144-113 win over Denver.

Indiana continues Opening Week presented by Kroger with a Friday night matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. Find Tickets »