Nets grind out first win of the season, 98-90 over short-handed Pacers
Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle led a closing surge in Indianapolis as Brooklyn moved to 1-5 against a Pacers side missing four rotation players.
Brooklyn's season finally has a number in the win column. The Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 98-90 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday night, turning a defensive slugfest into their first victory of the 2026-27 campaign after an 0-5 start.
How it unfolded
Neither offense found much rhythm early. Brooklyn took a 43-40 lead into halftime behind 13 first-half points from Michael Porter Jr., who finished with a team-high 23 points and 9 rebounds. Julius Randle added 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep, while rookie guard Nolan Traoré chipped in 16 points, six assists and four three-pointers against a single turnover.
Indiana, playing without Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Ivica Zubac and T.J. McConnell, kept clawing back. Threes from Andrew Nembhard and Larry Nance Jr. cut Brooklyn's lead to three with 9:29 to play. But Randle and Traoré answered, and when Traoré buried a triple off a Day'Ron Sharpe tip-back, the Nets had their first double-digit lead of the night — and never let the Pacers back within reach.
The quiet anchor
Sharpe's line deserves a second look: 15 points and 13 rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting, his fourth career game with at least 13 points and 13 boards. On a night when both teams shot poorly, Brooklyn's edge on the glass and at the line decided it. "We took good shots and they were not falling," Nets coach Jordi Fernández said of the early struggles — the difference was that Brooklyn kept generating second chances until they did.
What it means
The Nets escape the 0-fer at 1-5 and head straight into a back-to-back starting Monday at Madison Square Garden, where, according to Yahoo Sports, they carry a 14-game losing streak against the Knicks dating to January 2023. For Indiana, the loss stings less than the injury report: until Haliburton and company return, nights like this are about survival.