Nets at Pacers
One of the best home teams in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers had a rare slip-up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday. They will look to make amends in the continuation of a five-game homestand against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. Despite a 100-98 overtime loss against Toronto, Indiana is still 20-4 at home. It had won 15 in a row there before the setback, which also ended a five-game winning streak overall. The Pacers enter with a one-half game lead over Chicago in the Central Division.
The Nets limp in losers of six of their last nine after a 25-point loss to San Antonio at home Sunday. They've gone seven straight games without reaching 100 points, averaging only 88.9 in that span. Against the Spurs, Brooklyn scored 35 of its 86 points in the first quarter, falling flat in the second half and drifting a bit more toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Nets enter this one just one game ahead of seventh-place Boston in the loss column.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), Fox Sports Indiana (Indiana)
ABOUT THE NETS (29-22): While offense has been an issue of late, Brooklyn also failed to show up on the defensive end against the Spurs, who shot 58.9 percent (43-for-73) from the floor and turned the ball over only five times. San Antonio scored 30 points in both the third and fourth quarters in sending the Nets to their worst loss since a 29-point setback to the same Spurs squad on New Year's Eve. Joe Johnson scored 19 points and Brook Lopez had 18 in the losing effort.
ABOUT THE PACERS (31-20): Indiana's home loss to Toronto was somewhat forgiveable when one considers how busy the team's schedule has been. The Pacers played three games in three nights earlier in the week, making the Raptors game their fourth in five days. When Toronto forced overtime with a buzzer-beating tip-in, Indiana just ran out of gas. David West had 30 points and Paul George added 26 and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who also fell apart down the stretch in a 97-86 loss at Brooklyn on Jan. 13.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana's 15-game home winning streak was its longest since 1999-2000.
2. Nets PG Deron Williams scored 22 points and dished out nine assists in the Jan. 13 encounter.
3. Brooklyn is 9-18 against teams with a winning record.
PREDICTION: Pacers 105, Nets 95