Inside The Nets

Jordi Fernandez Pinpoints Nets' Falter vs. Pacers to This Key Area

Brooklyn had a hard time getting to the charity stripe.

Kyler Fox

Mar 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez reacts during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez reacts during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
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In an attempt to gain the advantage in the season series with the Indiana Pacers, the Brooklyn Nets fell 105-99 in overtime on the road last night. The six-point differential was the thinnest margin of victory in the Eastern Conference rivals' three meetings in the 2024-25 campaign, but could've been prevented by way of the free throw line.

Indiana outnumbered Brooklyn by 13 from the charity stripe, a reality head coach Jordi Fernandez reflected on postgame.

“It’s 13 shots right there from the free-throw line of difference with a team that we shot similar paint shots, they picked us up full-court. I find it hard to believe,” Fernandez said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “But it’s part of the game; that’s something that I cannot control which way the whistle is going to go. We had a great veteran crew that have called a lot of games. So for us we have to worry about what we can control and got to move on to the next one, which is good because it’s the same team.”

But a deeper look into the discrepency in the free throw attempt column reveals an even more glaring statistic: the Pacers tallied 14 points in overtime despite connecting on just two field goals. 10 of those 14 came by way of shooting fouls.

Even though the officials refused to swallow their whistles, it didn't prevent things from getting chippy. Myles Turner and Trendon Watford were involved in a scuffle with under five minutes to play in regulation, resulting in Watford's disqualification from the contest.

“Yeah, I mean, you don’t want to get to that point. But at the end of the day nothing happened. There was just two teams playing hard. They were competing, we were competing. The physicality is great,” Fernandez said. “Again, we got punished with the free throw line; they didn’t. I just don’t think with a game that was that physical and picked up full court with low scoring, it doesn’t seem to make sense.”

Brooklyn gets one final shot at evening the season series tomorrow, again taking on Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. EST.

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Kyler Fox
KYLER FOX

Kyler is a staff writer for Brooklyn Nets on SI, where he covers all things related to the team. He is also the managing editor of The Torch, St. John's University's independent student-run newspaper.

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