Julius Randle ended up in the middle of the night’s loudest moment during Brooklyn’s 98-90 win over the Indiana Pacers, and it had nothing to do with the box score. In the fourth quarter, after Randle delivered a hard foul on Larry Nance Jr., Jalen Slawson stepped in for his teammate and seemed to say something to him. Randle’s response came fast, and the hot mic caught every bit of it.
"Shut your b*tch a** up, do something," Randle said.
That was enough to send fans into a frenzy online, mostly because Randle is not the kind of player people usually associate with this sort of back-and-forth. The reaction was less about the exchange itself and more about the idea that nobody seems eager to test him. One fan summed up the mood this way:
“Literally No One Has EVER Tried Randle His ENTIRE Career They Must Know Some We Dont 😂😂,” @MrBet50Cent said.
The confrontation was only one part of a solid night for Randle, who also helped Brooklyn stop a five-game skid. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists, and his +17 box plus-minus led the team in the eight-point victory.
Now the focus shifts to Monday, when the Nets go to Madison Square Garden for the second night of a back-to-back against the New York Knicks. It will be Randle’s first game against his former team in a Nets uniform, which gives the matchup an extra edge.
Randle sounded ready for it.
“I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun,” Randle said during his postgame interview.
Brooklyn had a rough time with New York last season, dropping all four meetings and taking two especially ugly losses at Madison Square Garden, 134-98 and 120-66. Randle said he wasn’t spending much time on that history.
“I don't know nothing about it, to be honest,” Randle said. “I live in the present, baby.
How do you walk in tomorrow in the present? Focus on what we need to do to get a win.
Build off of what we did today. And stick together as a group.”
In Other News...
Pacers Injury-Riddled Matchup Just Got Another Twist From Brooklyn
The injury list around this Pacers-Nets matchup keeps growing, and Brooklyn added another wrinkle by ruling out rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr. for the game against Indiana. Brown is being held out because of back injury management and minutes restrictions, a decision that fits the cautious approach the Nets have taken with a roster already thinned by absences.
Brooklyn will also be without Egor Demin and Ben Saraf, which could push veteran Terance Mann into a larger role when the game tips. Indiana, meanwhile, is dealing with its own hit to availability, with Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac among the players sidelined, leaving both teams to sort through rotations under less-than-ideal circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Have A Backcourt Problem They May Need To Address
Tyrese Haliburtons hamstring injury has turned a routine stretch of the season into a real test for Indianas backcourt depth. With the Pacers expecting to be without their All-Star guard for about two weeks, the immediate question is how they keep the offense organized and the tempo where it needs to be while one of the leagues most important playmakers is sidelined.
Bruce Brown, Seth Curry and Kevin Porter Jr. are among the free-agent names that could make sense if Indiana decides it needs outside help, though nothing has been decided. For a team built around pace, spacing and Haliburtons ability to make everyone around him better, even a short absence can force a search for answers, and the Pacers may have to weigh whether a temporary fix is worth making a move. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Let A Shorthanded Nets Team Expose A Bigger Problem
The Pacers had a chance to take care of business against a shorthanded Brooklyn group, but instead they walked away with a 98-90 loss that exposed how much room there still is to clean things up. Brooklyn was missing Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr., yet the Nets still found enough offense to steady themselves after a slow start, with Nolan Traore setting the tone with 14 points and six assists.
Traores second-half push helped Brooklyn seize control, and he got plenty of support from Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle and Day'Ron Sharpe, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For Indiana, the result was less about one bad stretch than a reminder that even a depleted opponent can turn a game if the Pacers dont match the energy and execution required to close it out. [Read more 🡒]