Indiana plays their first of two in Brooklyn against the Nets tonight.
After an exciting win last night against Washington, the Indiana Pacers are back at it in quick order, traveling north to face the Brooklyn Nets in the first of two games at Barclays Center. Surprisingly, the Pacers (2-4) sit above the Nets (1-4) in the standings as of tonight as Brooklyn has tried to work in Ben Simmons while dealing with injuries to Seth Curry.
Curry has yet to suit up this year but will be a game time decision tonight. The same story is unfortunately the case for former Pacer T.J. Warren, who remains out and can hopefully still find a way to contribute to the Nets this season. Indiana fans may get to see one old friend, however, as Edmond Sumner has taken to the court for four of the five games, scoring six points in 15 minutes against Dallas on Thursday.
The Pacers have their own injury news tonight, with both Aaron Nesmith (sore right foot) and Myles Turner (left ankle injury management) out tonight. With both playing key roles in last night’s victory, it’s hard to see how Indiana can replicate their success against Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the Nets are currently 28th in defensive rating and have an unfortunate new controversy to navigate with Irving.
In brighter news, tonight will be an ABA throwback for the Nets, wearing their Stars and Stripes Classic Edition jerseys tonight, which again begs the question: why aren’t the Pacers matching them and why isn’t the ball red, white, and blue? Why can’t the league make games like these a true spectacle?
DraftKings Odds: Wizards -11, O/U 240 (latest DraftKings odds here)
When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: Bally Sports Indiana/Bally Sports + app
Radio: 93.5 FM/107.5 FM
Projected Starting Lineups:
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson
Wizards: Kyrie Irving, Royce O’Neale, Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, Nic Claxton
Injury update:
IND:
Aaron Nesmith – out (sore right foot)
Daniel Theis – out (sore right knee)
Myles Turner – out (left ankle injury management)
BKN:
Seth Curry – questionable (left ankle)
T.J. Warren – out (left foot)
Please share your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.