The fuss in the Nets' locker room wasn't just about overcoming a season-long loss. They were breaking the story too much.
Brooklyn dominated Indiana 99-90, ending a three-game slide in front of 16,748 points at Barclays Center.
The Nets then celebrated their latest victory that shocked doubters.
“It's just tough,” Ben Simmons said. “I mean, they let us win 19 games on the season, so that's a little bit of motivation. We come here and celebrate each win, but we move on to the next game. So it's a day. I'll take some time off and go back to the gym to practice and continue training.”
“From our perspective, everyone has heard that noise,” Cam Johnson said. “Our preseason expectations are a constant reminder, especially when we're going through media days and things like that. So all of our wins have been hard-fought and overall well-received. . That's the culture we're trying to create and build.”
The Nets return Johnson (game-high 26 points, 7-of-13 from deep) and Simmons (9 assists, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) after missing the last game.
Nick Claxton scored a season-high 16 points, and Shake Milton came off the bench to score 15 points.
But what they really got was a tough defense, holding the Pacers to 42.7 percent shooting and just 8-of-33 from behind the basket.
They protected the rim, allowing just 15 attempts inside the restricted area.
“We flew around and put pressure on the ball. All of our guys did a tough job flying around and putting pressure on the ball,” Johnson said. “I have to give credit to everyone who stepped up today, but stepping up defensively was big for us in holding them to 90 points, so it was a really good effort.”
The Nets led by 21 points, but were tied for 80-all in the fourth quarter.
Simmons, Milton and the bench unit broke the deadlock with a game-clinching 10-0 run.
“We just need to calm down and get back to our principles,” Simmons said. “Good defense leads to good offense. You play with some pace and then you run. One of the things I tell my players is, don't run with me, because I don't like the game. Because you're seeing them a little bit earlier and they're open when you probably don't think they're going to be open. So you're just trusting that run because it's going to create opportunities.”
Johnson said: “Yeah, that group was flying around. And on the other hand, they were picking up the pace. And that's unfortunate from an opponent's standpoint. They just kept increasing the tempo. And the shake, Jalen [Wilson]Ben, Daylon [Sharpe]a huge effort to make 80-80 into 90-80. That's the game right there. And a big shout out to those guys. ”
The Nets fell behind 11-10 on former Nick Obi Toppin's 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first game, but they made it through the period and took a 27-9 lead into overtime.
By the time Claxton made an alley-oop with 8:35 left in the first half, the Nets had a 37-20 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, Milton hit a 3-pointer off Johnson, and the team narrowed the cushion to 46-25.
The Nets never lost that lead, but watched it shrink throughout the rest of the night.
In the five minutes between the end of the third and the start of the fourth, they were outscored 18-5.
TJ McConnell's layup pulled Indiana within three points, and a Dennis Schroder turnover on the next possession led to Toppin's breakaway dunk to extend the lead to 77-76 with 9:15 left.
Johnson finally broke the situation with a 3-pointer.
After Pascal Siakam hit a midrange jumper and Trendon Watford missed a three, Siakam fouled out and gave up the tying free throw with 8 minutes, 6 seconds left.
However, Simmons, who was tied at 80-all, broke it and threw in an alley-oop from Milton.
Watford then made four free throws centered around Wilson's drive, extending their lead to eight points.
Simmons found another drive by Wilson and sent Indiana to a timeout, giving the Nets a 90-80 lead with 5:48 remaining.
This is what they had.
