Pacers surge past Nets, erasing an 18-point lead with rookie heroics and a late defensive stand.
The Brooklyn Nets (15-38) failed to defend home-court against the Indiana Pacers (15-40) on Wednesday night, falling 115-110 and blowing an 18-point second-half lead in the process.
After taking a 13-point lead into the halftime break, Brooklyn's bench unit failed to keep the Pacers' prospects in check, surrendering 57 bench points to Indiana.
In a contest that ultimately came down to the final seconds, it was the Pacers' 23-year-old rookie guard Kam Jones (11 points, six assists) who hit the eventual game-winning step-back three-pointer with 17 seconds left.
Brooklyn's lone Rising Star Egor Dëmin (13 points, five assists, five rebounds) had an opportunity to respond with a clean look from distance, but he'd miss from the left wing to seal the Nets' fate.
Rookie guard Nolan Traoré continued his string of wonderful performances despite the tough loss, finishing with a team-high 20 points and eight assists. Day'Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams each poured in 19 points of their own.
Sharpe filled up the box score once again, compiling 12 more rebounds (five offensive), five assists, two steals and two blocks on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor, showing off some impressive footwork in the low post.
Indiana's Jarace Walker scored a game-high 23 points on 50% shooting despite receiving a 'questionable' tag prior to the game due to his recovery from an illness.
Walker would lead the way for a scrappy Pacers group coming off of a massive 137-134 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday, assisting his group with their sweep of New York.
Traoré controlled the Nets' offense from beginning to end with his drive-and-kick game, hitting Dëmin, Williams, Drake Powell and Wolf for wide-open looks on the perimeter.
However, a 16-turnover figure ruined the Nets' rhythm. The third quarter saw an unprecedented 11 giveaways committed on unforced mental mistakes and errant passes. Traoré led the way with five, playing a bit too casual in the pick-and-roll as the game continued.
Despite shooting 42.4% (14-33) from deep, Brooklyn's lacking defensive effort late led to a surprising burst of shot-creation from Indiana's rookie guard Taelon Peter (14 points) and active center Micah Potter (19 points, 12 rebounds).
Fourth-year Pacers guard Quenton Jackson also left his imprint on the game, scoring nine points and throwing down a highlight jam over Dëmin in the second quarter.
Brooklyn now heads into the All-Star break with a chance to watch Dëmin show off his sharpshooting ability as a participant in Friday's Rising Stars Game.
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