Basketball is back in Brooklyn. Jeremy Lin and the Nets head home to the Barclay’s Center for their home opener against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. The Nets stand at 0-1 after their loss to the Celtics Wednesday and the Pacers stand at 1-0 after an overtime victory against Dallas Wednesday.
Indiana Pacers vs. Brooklyn Nets 10-28-16
Time: Friday October 28 2016, 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES Network
Starters:
Brooklyn: Jeremy Lin, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Trevor Booker, Brook Lopez
Indiana: Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner
Absences:
Brooklyn: Caris LeVert, Randy Foye
Indiana: None
The Nets lost a surprisingly close game against the Celtics in their season opener 117-122. Brooklyn was down as much as 23 before a late fourth quarter surge brought them to within three points with less than a shot-clock left. Unfortunately, Justin Hamilton could not nail the game-tying three which resulted in a Boston victory.
The mere fact that Brooklyn even fought back from that deficit that late shows fans that this team has heart and will fight every minute of
every game. Indiana is an exceptional team with some great players such as Paul George, Myles Turner and Jeff Teague.
Brooklyn also has some solid players, namely their duo in Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez, aka Brook-Lin. Lopez had a dismal performance Wednesday as he only scored 7 points on 1/7 shooting. Lin had a decent game as it took him a while to get into the flow of the game and the system, but Lin finished with 18 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Indiana had some excellent performances from their players Wednesday against Dallas as three players went for over 20 points and another, Monta Ellis at 19. Myles Turner had 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Paul George had 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Do not forget about former Net and Brooklyn lover, Thaddeus Young. The Nets traded Young to the Pacers during the draft for the rights to Caris LeVert.
The Nets could win this game based on the fact that it is their home opener. If the fans show up and are loud and the team shows the hustle and productivity they did Wednesday, Indiana will have a tough time. In order to win we need Brook-Lin to step their games up a little bit. Lin needs more than 3 assists and Lopez needs more than 7 points. If these two can play the way we know they can play, Brooklyn has a real chance.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers 10-28-16 Game Recap
Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers 10-28-16 Game ScoreThey had a chance, and they hopped on it. The Brooklyn Nets win their first game of the season, their home opener, defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-94.
Jeremy Lin missed a triple-double by the skin of his teeth. Lin scored 21 points with 9 rebounds and 9 assists on 6/12 shooting.
Brook Lopez rebounded this game scoring 25 points, leading the game. Lopez only tallied 5 rebounds, though, which is an issue.
Trevor Booker notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Also, Brooklyn held Indiana to 15 fourth quarter points, which is stellar.
Sean Kilpatrick gave his fair share off of the bench scoring 18 points on 7/11 shooting. Kilpatrick is a pure scorer and one of Sean Marks’ better cheap acquisitions. Kilpatrick can play like this regularly and the Nets need him to do so.
Needless to say, this was a great game from the low expectations Nets.
Unsurprisingly, Paul George led Indiana in scoring with 22 points and former Net Thaddeus Young tallied up 19 points and 8 rebounds in his return.
Brook-Lin came to play today in front of the Brooklyn Faithful, and they gave them a show. If these two can continue to play like this all season, as said before, this team will give headaches throughout the NBA.
The Nets sit at 1-1 and travel to Milwaukee to face off against Jason Kidd and the Bucks while the Pacers, also at 1-1, head to Chicago for a bout against Dwayne Wade and the Bulls tomorrow night.