Game Rewind: Pacers 115, Nets 124

The NCAA Tournament is keeping the Pacers on the road for most of March — in fact, Wednesday's game against Brooklyn was Indiana's only game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in its first seven contests since the All-Star break.

For much of Wednesday, the Pacers seemed right at home. They used a 40-point quarter to build a comfortable lead which they held for much of the night. Domantas Sabonis collected his sixth triple-double of the season before the end of the third quarter. The stars seemed aligned for Indiana to snap a five-game losing streak in the friendly confines of Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

But James Harden and the Nets had other ideas. Brooklyn (28-13) was without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Harden picked up the slack, leading the visitors to a come-from-behind 124-115 win.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 24 points and Sabonis finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for Indiana (17-22), but it wasn't enough to overcome an MVP-like performance from Harden.

Harden scored 25 of his game-high 40 points in the second half while also tallying 10 rebounds and 15 assists to record his 11th triple-double of the season and lead the Nets to their sixth straight win and their 14th victory in their last 15 games. The 6-5 guard went 13-for-27 from the field and 12-for-14 from the free throw line.

"Harden was just doing his thing," Sabonis said after the game. "We tried to throw all kinds of different defenses at him, but he was picking us apart."

Sabonis and the Pacers' offense were rolling in the early going on Wednesday night. Sabonis scored 14 points in the first quarter alone, including 12 in an impressive two-and-a-half-minute sequence.

The All-Star forward got an easy dunk off a nice dish from Caris LeVert at the 4:08 mark. LeVert connected with Sabonis again on the next trip down the floor and this time he scored and drew a foul on Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. After a Doug McDermott layup, Sabonis then jumped the passing lane to intercept Bruce Brown and took it himself to the rim for a one-hand jam, forcing a Brooklyn timeout.

Sabonis wasn't done after the stoppage, draining a 3-pointer and then scoring again inside off a dish from T.J. McConnell at 1:36. That flurry was part of a 23-7 Indiana run to close the quarter. The Pacers went 17-for-27 (63 percent) in the frame to open up a commanding 40-25 lead.

The Nets charged back in the second quarter, using a 20-8 run of their own to climb within four at 49-45 with five minutes remaining in the first half. Back-to-back layups from McConnell and LeVert gave the Pacers some breathing room and they remained in front all the way up until the intermission, taking a 61-58 lead into the break.

Brogdon and Justin Holiday combined to score the Pacers' first 17 points in the third quarter to help the hosts maintain the lead.

Indiana led by as many as nine points in the frame, but Harden kept Brooklyn within striking distance with 11 points and four assists in the quarter. A Harris 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the frame trimmed the Pacers' lead to 91-89.

The Nets surged ahead early in the fourth quarter, however, tying the game at 96 on Harden's layup with 9:16 remaining and taking their first lead since the first quarter on Harden's lob to Nicolas Claxton 20 seconds later.

The Pacers briefly tied the game on McConnell's layup on the other end, but Brooklyn quickly retook control with two free throws by Jeff Green and a Harden 3-pointer.

Brooklyn built its lead up to nine at 115-106 heading into the final minute. The Pacers found life when Brogdon scored at the 1:05 mark and then Tyler Johnson committed a turnover on the ensuing inbound. LeVert drilled a quick three to cut the deficit to 115-111 with a minute to play.

But Brogdon was whistled for fouling Harden before the next inbound, which gave him a free throw. Harden then blew by Brogdon for two more points to put the game on ice.

The loss continued a frustrating trend for the Pacers, who have had the lead entering the fourth quarter in all four of their games since the All-Star break but have only held on to win once.

LeVert, who was traded to Indiana from Brooklyn in January in the deal that brought Harden to the Nets, finished with 19 points, five assists, and two steals in his first game against his former team.

"Obviously, when you play against a former team it's a little extra special," LeVert said. "It was good to be able to be out here and play and be healthy and things like that. I wish we could have got the win."

McDermott and McConnell each scored 12 points off the bench for Indiana.

Harris finished with 19 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting for Brooklyn. Green added 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Nets have been without Durant since Feb. 13 due to a hamstring strain and fellow All-Star Irving also sat out Wednesday's game with a sore right groin.

The Pacers will now head to Miami for a pair of games against the Heat on Friday and Sunday. They wrap up a three-game road trip on Monday night in Milwaukee.

With his sixth triple-double, Sabonis broke the franchise single-season record for triple-doubles. Lance Stephenson led the NBA with five triple-doubles during the 2013-14 season.

The Pacers' 40 points in the first quarter were a new season high. It was just the second time this season Indiana has scored 40 or more points in a quarter. They had 41 points in the fourth quarter in a win in Atlanta on Feb. 13.

The Nets outrebounded Indiana 50-34 overall and 15-4 on the offensive glass. Brooklyn outscored the Pacers 18-7 in second-chance points in the game and 11-0 in the fourth quarter.

Myles Turner battled foul trouble for much of the night, only playing 24 minutes, but he did manage to add two blocks to his league-leading total. Turner has now blocked a shot in 55 straight games, breaking Jermaine O'Neal's franchise record for the longest streak of consecutive games with a block.

Brooklyn scored 22 points off of 16 Pacers turnovers.

"Both the second and the fourth quarter, there was definitely some slippage there. We have to do a better job on the offensive glass, that's number one...If we play good defense we sure as heck need to come up with the rebound so we can get more possessions." -Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren on the difference in the game

"We let them get a lot of offensive rebounds down the stretch. They got a lot of second-chance points. And then their offense was a little more crisp that ours was." -LeVert

"We feel like these last four games we've had them all under control. We just can't finish them in the fourth quarter. That's obviously upsetting." -Sabonis

"He had some touches there, he made the right play...He continues to make the right pass and the right screen. He's not concerned with his points." -Bjorkgren on Sabonis only scoring four points on three attempts over the final three quarters

"I'm feeling better each and every day. I'm feeling more comfortable each and every day as I play, as I watch film, as I just be around the guys." -LeVert on his comfort level after three games with his new team

The Pacers have lost six straight games at home for the first time ever at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the first time since 1985.

The Pacers travel to Miami for the first of two straight against Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Friday, March 19 at 8:00 PM ET.

A limited number of tickets for all upcoming Pacers home games from March 17 - April 21 are now on sale. Tickets for the final nine regular season home games will go on sale on Monday, April 19. Single Game Tickets »   Health & Safety Guidelines »