Young guns trying to impress as Pacers, Nets compete for lottery balls
A game between the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets can be viewed as a race to obtain better draft lottery odds.
It can also be viewed as two teams with young players trying to make favorable impressions on teams to stay in the NBA.
Both things are factors Thursday night when the Pacers visit the Nets in a matchup of the teams with the league's second- and third-worst records.
The Pacers (18-61) are the second straight team to go from appearing in the NBA finals to the draft lottery and are hoping for similar luck as the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks lost a five-game series to the Boston Celtics in 2024, traded Luka Doncic in midseason and selected Cooper Flagg with the top overall pick.
Indiana took the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 last season before bowing out, but the team also lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles that cost the star guard this season. While Haliburton is recovering, the Pacers have used 27 players and are finishing their third 60-loss season in team history.
Indiana has lost three straight and 21 of its past 24 games. The Pacers took a 124-104 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night and finished the game with nine available players after Kobe Brown tweaked his back in the first half.
Pascal Siakam (ankle) missed his second straight game, while T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Andrew Nembhard (back), Aaron Nesmith (neck) and Ben Sheppard (hip) did not play. Those absences opened extended minutes to Ethan Thompson, a two-way player who led the team with 17 points and has started 10 of his 29 career games with Indiana.
"This is a great opportunity for us, especially in the position that we're in, to showcase how we can impact an NBA game," Thompson said. "We're grateful for the opportunity."
Also getting an opportunity is Jalen Slawson, who is also on a two-way contract and added 14 points Tuesday.
The Nets (20-59) split a pair of meetings with the Pacers earlier this season and are coming off their third win in five games following a second 10-game losing streak. The three wins are against Sacramento, Washington and Milwaukee, which are also in the draft lottery.
The Nets are three games behind the Wizards for the NBA's worst record after following up Sunday's 121-115 home win over Washington with a 96-90 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Brooklyn held out Noah Clowney (ankle), Nic Claxton (finger) and Ziaire Williams (foot), and those absences resulted in E.J. Liddell setting his career high for the second straight game when he finished with 21 points. Liddell was part of Brooklyn's 37th different starting lineup and the two-way forward was the 19th player to lead the Nets in scoring this season.
"I talked to my mom after my first NBA start," Liddell said after appearing in his 23rd game for Brooklyn and 43rd NBA appearance. "Couldn't stop smiling, so I mean, the second one felt the same way. Any opportunity I get to put on this Brooklyn jersey, it feels special."
The Nets shut down two of their five rookies Egor Demin (foot) and Danny Wolf (ankle) and gave continued extended minutes to first-year guard Ben Saraf. Saraf made his eighth career start and finished with 19 points, three of his career best.