Less than 24 hours after pulling out a wild overtime win at Madison Square Garden over the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers decided to sit all five of their starters.
The well-rested Brooklyn Nets couldn’t take advantage and nail down their season high-tying third straight win ahead of this weekend’s All-Star break.
Jarace Walker scored 23 points and Micah Potter added 19 off the bench Wednesday night as Indiana’s back-ups overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit en route to an improbable 115-110 victory over the Nets before 16,779 fans at Downtown’s Barclays Center.
“We were not good enough, and that’s why we lost the game, and winning games in the NBA is important,” frustrated Nets coach Jordi Fernández lamented. “So, not happy with what happened.”
Nor should he be.
The Nets (15-38) had reeled off back-to-back wins to begin this homestand and appeared to be in position to close it out against an undermanned opponent that sat leading scorer Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard over load-management issues.
Already playing without superstar Tyrese Haliburton this season due to a torn Achilles, the Pacers (15-40) appeared eager to get to the break in good health rather than chasing a second straight win across the East River.
Up by 11 at the half, Brooklyn stretched the lead to 82-64 on Ziaire Williams’ 25-footer with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Rather than packing its bags for a week-long break, however, Indiana dug in and began crawling back into contention, due mainly to the Nets’ inability to hang on to the ball.
Brooklyn committed 11 of its 17 turnovers in the period, allowing the Pacers to crawl within six points entering the final 12 minutes.
“We have higher standards than that on things we can control,” Fernández added.
“We have to make sure that guys know, and that responsibility comes with … when you’re given an opportunity, you gotta go out there and play as hard as you can, and put your mind into it.”
Day’Ron Sharpe’s latest double-double couldn’t prevent the Nets from squandering an 18-point lead to Indiana on Wednesday. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP
Things only got worse in the fourth quarter as the Pacers forged in front 100-97 on a free throw and subsequent dunk by Potter with 7:11Â remaining.
The game got knotted three times thereafter, with rookies Nolan Traoré and Egor Dёmin taking the lead down the stretch.
But Kam Jones’ 24-foot step-back jumper with 16.8 seconds to go put Indiana in front to stay, even though Dёmin had a clean look at a tying 3-ball that clanged off into Potter’s waiting hands with 1.6 ticks showing.
Traoré scored a team-high 20 points and handed out eight assists, but also committed five turnovers as he continued to cement his recent installment into the first five.
Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe added 19 points apiece for the Nets, who will have more than a week to absorb this defeat before getting back to the hardwood on Feb. 19 in Cleveland.
“I believe that if they would have done the best to their abilities, they’re better than this,” said Fernández. “They’re better than the third quarter.”
Rookies Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Nets, who were hoping to match the three-game run they had from Dec. 21-27.
Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. and Noah Clowney sat for Brooklyn, but Indiana was without T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith and Ivica Zubac, either due to injury or fatigue from outlasting the Knicks 137-134 in Monday’s OT thriller.
Ochai Agbaji made his Nets debut at Barclays Center on Wednesday, but didn’t manage to score in 16 minutes off the bench. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP
NOTHING BUT NET: Sharpe and Williams started and paid instant dividends, combining for 38 points on 15-for-24 shooting. Sharpe also ripped down 12 boards, matching Potter for the game high. Williams missed his first five attempts before finishing 7-of-13 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. … Recently acquired forward Ochai Agbaji made his Brooklyn debut, going scoreless in 16 minutes oft the pine while picking up six rebounds, handing out two assists and blocking a shot. Agbaji came to the Nets in the three-team deal that sent future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers to Toronto. … After visiting the Cavaliers in their return from the break, the Nets will also go to defending NBA champion Oklahoma City on Feb. 20 before finishing off their three-game trip in Atlanta on Feb. 22.