Nets Hope Late Rally Sparks Turnaround Against Pacers

The Brooklyn Nets will look to get their first win of the 2026-27 season Sunday evening, returning to Barclays Center to host the Indiana Pacers. Brooklyn is coming off a tough 125-121 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, while Indiana enters at 1-1 after falling to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

The Nets nearly pulled off an incredible comeback in Cleveland, cutting a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to just two before running out of time. It was an encouraging finish after a frustrating night, but Brooklyn cannot afford to wait until the final 12 minutes to play with that kind of energy again.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 28 points and nine rebounds, while Julius Randle finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Egor Dëmin added 22 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, when he knocked down four three-pointers to help bring Brooklyn back into the game.

Dëmin's late shooting gave the Nets a chance to pull off the comeback, and Brooklyn outscored Cleveland 41-29 in the fourth. The problem was everything that happened before that. The Cavaliers had built too much of a lead, and the Nets spent most of the night trying to keep up.

Head coach Jordi Fernández was proud of how his team responded when things looked bleak, but he knows Brooklyn needs to show that same fight from the opening tip. Dëmin echoed that message after the game, pointing to the importance of playing with the same confidence early on.

"We got to jump into the game with the same mentality as we've kind of finished it," Dëmin said.

That will be worth watching against an Indiana team that has had its own problems getting off to strong starts this season.

The Pacers were blown out early by Dallas on Friday, trailing 44-27 after the first quarter and going into halftime down 77-43. They played much better after the break, outscoring the Mavericks by 18 points in the second half, but the damage was already done in a 121-105 loss.

Indiana had a similar issue in its season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pacers were outscored 35-18 in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing by 10. They managed to turn things around after the break, though, outscoring New Orleans by 13 in the second half to escape with a three-point win.

Those slow starts give Brooklyn something to take advantage of. The Nets are playing the second night of a back-to-back and could have tired legs after Saturday's game, but they also have a chance to put Indiana under pressure early. If they can establish themselves offensively and make a few stops, they could put the Pacers in an uncomfortable position.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 23 points against Dallas, while Tyrese Haliburton recorded 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Andrew Nembhard added 16 points and five assists. The Pacers still have plenty of offensive talent, so Brooklyn will need to do a better job defensively than it did against Cleveland.

The Nets gave up 125 points on Saturday and committed 20 turnovers that led to 23 Cavaliers points. Those mistakes made it difficult to stay competitive for much of the night, and they will need to clean things up against a team that can capitalize when given extra opportunities.

Brooklyn will also be without a few players Sunday. Tyler Bilodeau remains out with a right shoulder sprain, while Indiana will be missing Johnny Furphy, T.J. McConnell and Ben Sheppard.

Mikel Brown Jr. will also sit out Sunday's game as he continues working his way back from an ankle injury. The rookie remains on a minutes restriction, and the Nets are being cautious with his workload as he recovers. Fernández has made it clear that Brown will not play in back-to-back games for the foreseeable future, leaving Brooklyn without another young guard against Indiana.

Brown's absence means the Nets will have one fewer option in the backcourt, making it even more important for their other guards to step up. Dëmin's performance in the fourth quarter against Cleveland was a positive sign, and Brooklyn will need him to build on that while finding more consistency throughout the game.

Porter and Randle have already shown they can carry a significant scoring load, but the Nets need more than individual performances to get their first win. Better ball security, stronger defense, and a faster start would go a long way toward changing the outcome Sunday.

The comeback in Cleveland showed that Brooklyn is capable of making things interesting even when facing a huge deficit. Now the Nets need to prove they can avoid digging that hole in the first place. Indiana's struggles early in games give them a real opportunity, but they will have to take advantage of it.

The Nets and Pacers tip off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday at Barclays Center. Brooklyn will try to turn the fight it showed late against Cleveland into a complete performance and avoid starting 0-3.