Nets at Pacers
The Brooklyn Nets picked up a big win Saturday night to bolster their NBA playoff chances, and can take another big step toward securing a berth Sunday at the Indiana Pacers, who still hold out hope for home court advantage in the first round. The Nets took advantage of a Milwaukee Bucks team that had already sewn up the No. 1 seed and rested superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, picking up a 133-128 win Saturday.
Brooklyn ended the game on a 7-0 run to move into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with Orlando, a half-game up on eighth-place Detroit and 1 1/2 ahead of Miami. "One game at a time, erase this one," guard D'Angelo Russell told reporters after scoring 25 points and handing out 10 assists in the victory. The Pacers need to win their final two games and have Boston lose its last two to gain home court for the first round. They have won nine straight against the Nets and seven consecutive meetings at home, including a 132-112 rout in Indianapolis on Oct. 20.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Indiana
ABOUT THE NETS (40-40): Russell led eight players in double figures, one of whom - Jared Dudley - stood out for his overall impact on the game Saturday night. "The X-factor," coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of Dudley, who had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes. "His IQ, his instincts, just his understanding of the league. We're switching everything out there and he's guarding (Eric) Bledsoe and (Khris) Middleton and he's just got a great corporate knowledge in terms of knowing how to play the basketball game." Caris LeVert chipped in 24 points and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE PACERS (47-33): Regardless of where they begin the postseason, Indiana has to reassert itself after letting the Celtics shoot 52.2 percent from the floor Friday while claiming a 3-1 season series win and the first tiebreaker between the two teams. "They won the game. They were more physical, they were faster, they were stronger," coach Nate McMillan told reporters after his team's third-most lopsided home loss of the season. "They pretty much dominated the game." Shooting guard Wesley Matthews (hamstring) returned from a two-game absence to score 10 points while point guard Darren Collison (groin) missed his third straight game.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets host fellow playoff hopeful Miami in their regular-season finale Wednesday. The Pacers visit Atlanta that same night.
2. Russell was held to a season-low three points on 1-of-8 shooting in the most recent meeting with Indiana.
3. Pacers SF Bojan Bogdanovic is 1-for-9 from 3-point range over his last three games after hitting 18-of-29 over his previous four contests.