NBA

3 Things To Look For In Pacers vs Nets: Can Nets Stop The Losing Streak?

Pacers G.M. on Tyrese Haliburton: "He's the next Reggie Miller"

The Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets will play their second game in a row tonight at 7:30pm. Indiana took the victory on Saturday night, 125-116. Brooklyn has lost three straight games and are desperate to get back in the win column. 

Leading the Pacers in scoring on Saturday night was rookie SG Bennedict Mathurin with 32 points in 33 minutes played. He went 6-9 from the three-point line and 10-10 on free throws. Kyire Irving had 35 for the Nets but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop the hot shooting of the Pacers.

Brooklyn needs a win now more than ever. The Pacers want to sweep the Nets in this two-game series and get back to a .500 record. Only one can win.

3 things to look out for in Pacers vs Nets tonight

1. Nets need more secondary scorers 

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have been their normal selves to start the season for Brooklyn. Each are averaging at least 30 points per game. The drop off after them is where things get ugly. Nic Claxton (11.0) is the next highest scorer for the Nets followed by David Duke Jr. (10.0) who’s played one game! That’s a pathetic stats for Brooklyn and they simply don’t have any other reliable scorers early on besides Kyrie and KD.

2. Tyrese Halliburton is playing at an elite level

Tyrese Halliburton is going to be a superstar in this league for a long time. The Kings traded him to Indiana last season and he played the final 26 games of the season with the Pacers. In 2022-23, he’s leading the Pacers in points (23.4), assists (10.0), and steals (1.6) per game. He was the second highest scorer for Indiana on Saturday with 26 points. Halliburton has a career three-point percentage of 42. He’s a high level scorer who’s also a gifted playmaker.

3. When will Ben Simmons make an real impact for Brooklyn? 

Ben Simmons has played in every game for the Nets so far this season, averaging (31.8) minutes per game. Still, Simmons has yet to score double-digit points for the Nets this season. His start with Brooklyn has not been great and the Nets are waiting to see his true potential. He is leading the Nets in assists (7.0), but he needs to be more consistent on offense and find a way to use his size to his advantage.