Nets Earn First Win of the Season With 98-90 Victory Over Injury-Hit Pacers

The Brooklyn Nets finally got off the mark this season with a hard-fought 98-90 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday. Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 23 points, Julius Randle added 20, and Day'Ron Sharpe posted 15 points and 13 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, as the Nets improved to 1-5. Rookie guard Nolan Traore added 16 points, hitting four of eight three-pointers, to give Brooklyn another scoring option when it mattered. Indiana, missing several key players including Tyrese Haliburton, fell to 2-5 with a fourth straight defeat and a fifth loss in six games. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points and Pascal Siakam added 17, but the hosts could not find enough offence against a determined Nets side. Brooklyn won the rebounding battle 43-37 and, more importantly, dominated second-chance points 14-5, a margin that proved decisive in a low-scoring contest. For the Pacers, the defeat underlined how much their injury problems have blunted an attack that was once among the league's most productive.