The Brooklyn Nets (20-59) have a few games left in their 2025-26 NBA season before they can break for the summer and hope to get lucky in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. Brooklyn is quietly on a two-game winning streak and with Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers (18-61), the Nets are hoping to keep the winning times going to finish the year strong.
The Nets come into this game following a 96-90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in which both teams struggled on the offensive end of the floor, but Brooklyn was able to make the plays they needed to down the stretch. Two-Way forward EJ Liddell had his best game as a member of the Nets with his 21 points and four rebounds while rookie guard Nolan Traore had 19 points and five rebounds.
The Pacers enter this matchup after a 124-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday as Indiana wasn’t able to gain much ground on Minnesota thanks to the number of injuries the team is playing through. Guard Ethan Thompson led the way for the Pacers with 17 points and four rebounds while forwards Obi Toppin and Jalen Slawson each had 14 points off the bench.
The Lines, Courtesy Of BetMGM
Notable Injuries
Nets: OUT: Egor Demin (plantar fascia), Day’Ron Sharpe (thumb), Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring), Danny Wolf (ankle), Nic Claxton (finger), Ziaire Williams (foot), Noah Clowney (ankle), Terance Mann (patella/Achilles), Josh Minott (ankle), and Nolan Traore (rest).
Pacers: OUT: Johnny Furphy (knee), Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), TJ McConnell (hamstring), Andrew Nembhard (back), Aaron Nesmith (neck), Pascal Siakam (ankle), and Ivica Zubac (rib). QUESTIONABLE: Kobe Brown (back), Ben Sheppard (hip), and Jarace Walker (tailbone).
Advice and Prediction
The Nets are nearly to the end of their rebuilding season and at this point, they are hoping to hold onto their spot in the Lottery while evaluating some of the lesser-used players. One of the players that have taken advantage of the extra playing time due to the amount of injuries is Two-Way forward EJ Liddell, who is coming off his best game of the season against the Bucks on Tuesday.
The Pacers are in essentially the same spot as the Nets when it comes to looking towards next season as they’re also dealing with plenty of injuries at the moment. Indiana has been one of the teams that those around the NBA have been talking about with regards to the league’s tanking issue, but players like Ethan Thompson are getting more playing time as a result.
The Nets and Pacers rank towards the bottom of the NBA in terms of offensive rating and defensive rating, but the pace at which these teams play at is what separates these two squads. Brooklyn plays at one of the slowest paces in the league while Indiana plays at a top-8 pace so this will be another matchup that the Nets may have to win by playing more possessions.
Prediction: Nets 115, Pacers 110
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets vs. Pacers betting preview: Prediction, point spread, odds
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
