Guided by Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers offense hums in important victory over Brooklyn Nets

The Pacers beat the Nets by more than 20 points on Monday

Apr 1, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) shoots the ball / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — It's April, and every game is vital for the Indiana Pacers. They are 2.5 games away from the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and 2.0 games away from the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The margins for seeding in the East are thin.

The dynamics of the standings change almost every night, so each victory is key — even expected ones. That's why the Pacers win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night was so important. They played their game, didn't get distracted by the standings, and crushed an inferior team. It sounds easy, but Indiana has struggled with lesser opponents this season.

"I just felt like we were playing some good ball," Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. He was happy with his team's randomness and ball movement. They finished with 35 assists and made 53 shots.

Haliburton was the leader of his team's offensive success. He was making plays and getting the actions in motion. When he's rolling, the Pacers are rolling. The two-time All-Star has been in a mini slump of late, but he was terrific in this outing.

He finished the game with 27 points on 9/15 shooting. Haliburton dropped in four of his seven three point attempts and sprayed 13 assists. He carved up the Nets defense and even dunked the ball on multiple occasions, a sign that he is improving in health and energy. He was terrific.

Forward Obi Toppin was letting Haliburton hear about his athleticism after the game. The team routinely jokes about the star guard's bounce, or perceived lack thereof, which former Pacer Buddy Hield started. In this game, Haliburton has springy and effective.

It made the entire Pacers team effective on the offensive end. "I felt like we did really good. Everybody sharing the ball, playing our brand of basketball," Toppin said after the game. "When you move the ball like we did today, it's fun playing that way."

Starting four man Pascal Siakam agreed. "I liked our pace. The ball was moving," he said after the game. He was impressed with his team's ability to attack mismatches without slowing down or stopping the ball. "The thing we did well is just, like, moving the ball," he added. Siakam finished with 15 points and six rebounds, he wasn't needed as much in this outing as he has been recently.

In just the first half, the Pacers had 75 points. Brooklyn didn't cross that mark until their final basket of the third quarter. Indiana's defensive intensity and effectiveness faded in the second half, but they were still terrific on offense all night. They hit hard early and cruised the rest of the way.

Haliburton and Siakam combined for 42 points. Toppin (14) and Jalen Smith (17) were terrific off the bench and gave the Pacers consistent presence in the front court. It was an easy night on the offensive end for the blue and gold, who put 133 points on the scoreboard.

"They played last night, so I thought we took advantage of that early," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. His team had two days off entering the duel while the Nets played at home the night before. "We pushed it, we got stops. The ball moved, we took advantage of open opportunities."

Indiana's offense has been sensational this season and still ranks second in the NBA. But their top-end offensive level has dropped somewhat as their play style has evolved this season. Their defense is better as a result, and the changes have been positive on the whole. In the Pacers first 20 games, they had over 130 points nine times. In the 20 games since the All-Star break, it's only been five times.

They are more threatening as a team now, so those numbers aren't indicative of their success. But they do show how strong the Pacers offensive night was on Monday specifically. They blew their recent scoring level out of the water to get an important win.

"When we're playing like that — fast, random. We're tough to play against," Carlisle said after the game. "We did a lot of good things offensively."

It comes at a great time. With the standings so tight from two through eight in the East, every victory and sign of lasting success is vital. Rounding into form ahead of the playoffs is what each team is hoping to do, and the blue and gold looked like they were doing so on Monday.

"I felt like today was a big step in the right direction," Toppin said of the Pacers playing how they want to offensively in advance of the postseason. Indiana still has work to do to clinch a playoff spot and show what they can do in a series setting. But their offense hit a high level against Brooklyn last night, and it pushed the Pacers to a vital win.

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