Inside The Nets

Mathurin's 28 Leads Pacers Past Nets in OT

Brooklyn's defensive issues resulted in another late-game falter.

Kyler Fox

Mar 20, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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In the opening act of a back-to-back stretch against the Indiana Pacers, the Brooklyn Nets couldn't overcome Bennedict Mathurin's career night en route to a 105-99 road loss. Mathurin tallied 28 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, further confirming Brooklyn's post-All-Star break defensive woes.

Ziaire Williams and D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 22 points apiece in their second-straight defeat at the hands of an Eastern Conference rival.

Following a similar trend to recent showings, Brooklyn did at one point control this contest. Up by as much as 11, Jordi Fernandez's group couldn't close out the victory coming out of the halftime break. Leading by 10 through 24 minutes of play, Indiana outscored the Nets by that exact amount in the second half. Mathurin, already having completely stuffed the stat sheet, calmy buried two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to send the bout to overtime.

Brooklyn managed just eight points in the added time while conceding 14, however the six-point scoring differential wasn't due to a continuation of the defensive lapse. The Pacers made just two field goals in overtime, each courtesy of Mathurin, but 10 made free throws in overtime helped clinch the win for the hosts.

Without Cam Johnson or Cam Thomas available, Fernandez relied on Williams, Russell and Trendon Watford to account for the absent combined 42.9 points per game. The latter turned in 15 points and five rebounds off the bench through 27 minutes of action, but an inablity to contain Mathurin made the trio's contributions obselete.

In the latest example of the Nets' inability to finish, the visitors shot just 14-of-50 from beyond the arc, compounding difficulty in slowing down the Pacers' stars with poor shooting efficiency. As Brooklyn missed time and again from deep, Indiana focused on getting to the charity stripe. And, as told by the final score, the strategy worked.

The Pacers shot 14 more free throws than the Nets while shooting at a nearly 15% higher hit-rate. Brooklyn was also outrebounded by 14 on the defensive glass, ironically producing the equal advantages in the two areas that cost the Nets this game.

Despite the dissapointing outcome, there were some bright spots. Maxwell Lewis again posted a solid display, notching eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in 22 minutes of floortime. As the 2024-25 campaign's end nears, Lewis continues to audition for a larger role in year two of Fernandez's tenure.

Fortunately for Brooklyn, it gets a very quick chance to avenge Thursday night's results. Tomorrow, the Nets take on the Pacers — again at at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — for an opportunity to generate any sort of confidence heading into the final 12-game stretch of the season.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Pacers, click here.

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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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