Brooklyn Nets: Nets Win Home Opener vs. Pacers

94. 100. Final. 103. 147

After dropping their season opener on Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets returned to Brooklyn for their home opener against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

The Brooklyn Nets returned to Barclay’s Center for their home opener against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, searching for their first win of the 2016-17 season.

The Nets got off to a slow start against Indiana, as they continued to focus on shooting three-pointers early. Brooklyn missed their first seven attempts from three-point range, before Joe Harris hit the first three of the game midway through the first quarter. With the second unit in the game, Brooklyn made it a close game, at 22-17. By the end of the first quarter, the Pacers put a bit more distance between themselves and the Nets, as they led 27-20.

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In the second quarter, the Nets offense came alive. Three pointers from Sean Kilpatrick, Joe Harris, and Justin Hamilton got the Nets back into the game. A three from Hamilton gave the Nets a lead which they would take all the way into the halftime break. After two quarters, Brooklyn led 52-48.

The Pacers, as veteran teams often do, went into the halftime break and made adjustments. As for the Nets, they seemed flat compared to the first half. Early in the third quarter, Indiana regained the lead, 59-56. As the third quarter went on, Indiana’s offense tried to pull away. A Paul George three pointer gave the Pacers a 69-62 lead, as he was left open.

With the third quarter winding down and Indiana up by nine, Jeremy Lin cut the Pacers’ lead down to seven with a solid, hustling effort. Lin had a fast break and was fouled hard. He missed the layup, but made both of the free throws. Indiana led 79-72 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Nets regained momentum early in the fourth quarter. An emphatic dunk from Trevor Booker made it 81-78 Pacers, as the Nets were on the comeback trail. A three-pointer from Greivis Vasquez gave the Nets an 83-81 lead as part of a 9-0 run. Indiana struggled mightily in the fourth quarter. A Kilpatrick three pointer put Brooklyn up 91-85, as the Nets attempted to close out their first win of the season. Right on cue, Kilpatrick hit another three-pointer to give Brooklyn a nine-point lead.

Brooklyn needed to play defense to secure a win, and did so. The Nets continued to score and got stops down the stretch. With 1:38 remaining, Brooklyn led 101-89. The lead would prove to be insurmountable as the Nets ran out the clock, sealing a 103-94 victory.

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The Nets regained their composure in the fourth quarter, which gave them an advantage and ultimately led to a win. After struggling against the Celtics on Wednesday, Brook Lopez led the Nets with 25 points. Jeremy Lin also finished with a near triple-double: 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.

The win was Kenny Atkinson‘s first as an NBA head coach. With the win, Brooklyn moves to 1-1 on the season. They will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.