The Nets finally got what they came to Gainbridge Fieldhouse looking for: a win in the same building where they had snapped last season’s 0-7 start.
On Sunday, Brooklyn leaned on a stronger second half, a burst from Nolan Traoré, and solid work from its centers to beat an injury-depleted Pacers team 98-90 and end a five-game skid. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t especially pretty, but it was enough for a club that had been chasing its first victory of the season.
Michael Porter Jr. led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds. Julius Randle added 20 points, six assists and four 3-pointers, while Traoré chipped in 16 points and six assists after taking over after halftime.
Brooklyn (1-5) had to grind for every bit of it.
The first half was sluggish on both sides. The Nets shot 38.5% from the field before the break, but still went into halftime ahead 43-40 because Indiana was even colder, hitting just 32.4% in the opening two quarters.
The Pacers were missing Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin, and the absences showed in their offense. Even so, Brooklyn didn’t do much to separate itself early.
That changed once Traoré got rolling.
The second-year guard had only two points on 1-for-6 shooting at halftime, but he came out aggressive in the third quarter and scored eight points as the Nets pushed out to their first double-digit second-half lead of the season. Traoré finished with 14 points after the break and knocked down four 3-pointers, including two big ones in the final five minutes to keep Indiana from making it a one-possession game.
The Pacers kept hanging around, though. Brooklyn’s lead grew to 12 in the third quarter, then shrank to 75-72 early in the fourth. Randle answered out of a timeout with a 3-pointer, one of three he made after halftime, and that gave the Nets a little more room to breathe.
Later, another Randle three and back-to-back triples from Traoré helped Brooklyn hold on.
Day’Ron Sharpe turned in his best game of the season, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for the 20th double-double of his career. Moritz Wagner added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Brooklyn’s centers combined for 29 points and 19 rebounds.
Andrew Nembhard paced Indiana with 23 points, 15 of them in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam scored 17, but the Pacers also missed nine free throws, a costly number in a game that stayed tight late.
The Nets still had their issues. They shot 41.1% overall and turned it over 18 times, while Keon Ellis and Terance Mann were held scoreless. There’s plenty to clean up before Monday’s game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
For one night, though, Brooklyn could at least leave with a win. The next step is figuring out how to make it more than just a one-off.
In Other News...
Pacers Let A Shorthanded Nets Team Expose A Bigger Problem
The Nets 98-90 win over Indiana came with enough oddball lineup context to make it feel bigger than a single regular-season result. Nolan Traore led Brooklyn with 14 points and six assists, Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle each chipped in, and DayRon Sharpe gave the group a major lift with 15 points and 13 rebounds. It was the kind of game where the box score mattered less than the way Brooklyn pieced it together after a slow start.
What stood out most was how the shorthanded roster still found enough offense to survive a Pacers team that should have been able to take advantage. Brooklyn was already missing Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr., and the win only sharpened the question of how this group handles those absences going forward. Traores second-half surge helped cover some of the gaps, but the larger issue is whether the Nets can keep getting this kind of production when the lineup is this thin. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Get Another Shot At Indiana With No Excuses Left
The Nets are heading into Sundays rematch with Indiana still chasing their first win of the 2026-27 season, and this one comes with a little extra urgency. Brooklyn already knows the Pacers well from last Sundays meeting, and both teams arrive off losses, but the Nets will again be short-handed with Egor Dmin still out.
Indiana will also be missing key pieces, which gives Brooklyn a cleaner path than it might otherwise have had to get back on track. Even so, the pressure is on the Nets to show more than they did in the first matchup, especially with no excuses left if they want to leave this one with their first victory of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Shooting Problems Ruin A Brutal Night Against The Nets
The Pacers came into their night in a celebratory mood, honoring former ABA players as part of the NBAs 50th anniversary of the merger and unveiling a new ABA Classic Court design in Indianapolis. Instead, the focus quickly shifted to a rough basketball performance, with Indiana struggling to find any rhythm offensively and giving the ball away too often in a 98-90 loss to Brooklyn.
For the Nets, it was the kind of road win that can matter in a long season because it came without much offensive polish of their own, just enough steadiness to take advantage of Indianas problems. The Pacers were already dealing with injuries, and the night only sharpened the questions around how theyll hold up in the middle when the rotation gets thin and the backup center spot becomes a bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]