NEW YORK — When the Nets play defense, they’re almost impossible to beat.
It’s a theme that’s rung true through the early season and was especially true as Brooklyn snapped its three-game losing streak with a strong defensive start in a 104-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
The Nets (15-12) held the Pacers (12-13) to just 18 points in the first quarter and only 12 points in the second, taking a 62-30 lead into halftime. That advantage ballooned to as many as 36 points before the wheels got shaky.
The Pacers cut the Nets’ lead down to as little as 16 as they found their offensive stride while the Brooklyn defense simultaneously started loosening up. Indiana cut that lead down to as little as 14 in the fourth quarter before the Nets strung together some stops.
Kyrie Irving led the charge with 33 points albeit on his second straight subpar shooting night by his own standards. Irving, who is playing through an index finger sprain on his shooting hand, shot just 2 of 6 from 3-point range while finishing 8 of 17 in total. He shot just 2 of 9 from the 3 in his first game dealing with the injury against the Detroit Pistons but is averaging 50-40-90 club efficiency numbers that would land him alongside both Steve Nash and Kevin Durant in the exclusive club.
James Harden shot just 4 of 13 from the field for 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Who would have thought it: Good defense can carry a team when it’s having a cold shooting night.
That defense was led by DeAndre Jordan, who was also about as involved in the offense as he’s been all season. The Pacers defense could not stop Irving or Harden from getting to the paint, and when an Indiana big man rotated over to help, the lob pass went over the top to Jordan, one of the best alley-oop finishers in the league.
The Nets also had a video tribute thanking Caris LeVert, the budding star who was traded to the Rockets, then subsequently dealt to the Pacers in the trades that included Harden and Victor Oladipo. Brooklyn players greeted LeVert at the conclusion of the game, with Irving and LeVert doing their signature handshake before Irving darted off to the locker room.
The Nets’ win over the Pacers was their final home game before a west coast road trip that spans nearly two weeks. Coming up: Warriors, Kings, Suns, Lakers and Clippers before they return home on Feb. 23 for their first game with fans against the Kings at Barclays Center.
