Brooklyn Nets win OT thriller in Summer League opener, beat Indiana Pacers, 96-95

Though the Brooklyn Nets tipped off their first Las Vegas Summer League game against the Indiana Pacers while Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing next door, they still drew quite the crowd to Cox Pavilion. Namely, Mikal Bridges!

Bridges was watching his now ex-teammates alongside assistant coach Juwan Howard and Trendon Watford, the last of whom just signed his new deal with Brooklyn.

But before we get to trying to analyze that, there was an actual game played between Brooklyn and the Indiana Pacers, though it occasionally didn’t look like basketball or at least professional basketball. At one point early in the second half, the teams had registered 35 total turnovers to 34 made field-goals. It felt like the Nets got thoroughly outplayed on Friday night, but Indiana just couldn’t make enough shots to build the lead they deserved. (Or didn’t, I guess.)

But it’s hardly about the final score in Vegas. The stories, even more than the star-obsessed nature of regular-season NBA coverage, are about the individual, and the individual to watch on Friday night was Dariq Whitehead.

It was not pretty, though there’s no need to read much into it, if you wish. First game since shin splints surgery in January, first game on a long road back to re-capturing the status he had as an ultra-5-star prospect two years ago, or at least some of it. But the athleticism wasn’t there, forget the 1-of-11 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three. He didn’t have the burst going into the lane, either laterally...

...or vertically...

With that said, he did block a couple jump-shots, as well as stealing the ball three times. Granted, the game was sloppy, but there were moments.

Enough to walk away feeling enthused about how he looked? Not quite, but not enough to drastically change your outlook on Whitehead from 24 hours prior. But Brooklyn’s sophomore was all smiles after the game, and it’s hard to fault him.

“To me, it’s good. I look at it as a positive sign. I’ve played, I’d say, the best defense I’ve played in a long time. So, just looking at that as a positive, as a stepping stone, and knowing that’s what I do. That’s what I do. I’m gonna make shots. It was a bad game, knock the rust off, just find the rhythm, and things will get going. But like I said, I was happy I was able to do other things that contribute to a win.”

Noah Clowney blocked three shots, and committed, yes, nine fouls, one short of Summer League’s lazy disqualification standard. And yet, he dominated for much of the game on defense. The Nets trailed for most of the first half by three possessions or so, and it would have been much, much more if not for his continued efforts to protect the rim...

While all that was going on, Keon Johnson, then Jalen Wilson, made sure the game never got out of hand. Long Island’s wings from last season were by far the best offensive players for Brooklyn, and saved the Nets from going quietly into that good night.

Johnson, the most explosive athlete in nearly every gym he walks into, played with controlled pace, racking up 14 points and six assists but at the center of many of Brooklyn’s best possessions. They turned it over 20 times, and Johnson turned it over just once. At just 22, posting a very good offensive game that addressed some of his biggest weaknesses against a Pacers squad featuring quite a few legit or nearly legit NBA players was the biggest individual positive for Brooklyn.

Summer League Head Coach Seve Hetzel said he was “very happy” with Johnson’s approach all game long: “It’s growth. He’s maturing as a player, the game is slowing down for him, which is allowing him to slow down on the court and he’s making these positive plays.”

It was J-Will who caught fire late in the game, hitting three triples in the final frame, all when Brooklyn erased a 14-point deficit with under five minutes left, forcing an Elam ending overtime thanks to a pair of missed free-throws from Indiana’s Quenton Jackson. Wilson would finish as the team's leading scorer and obvious vocal leader on the floor, with a team-high 21 points.

The Elam ending meant the winner would be the first team to score seven points after regulation ended in an 89-89 tie. Unsurprisingly, the intensity ratcheted up even more and the handful of possessions resulted in fouls and bricks.

The Nets took a 95-93 lead late, and then fouled with the target score being 96 to prevent Indiana from getting up a three! It got real, and it was over when Keon Johnson capped off his stellar performance with a game-winning turnaround...

What started as nearly unwatchable became a thrilling example of what’s great about Summer League. Even Whitehead, after his rough shooting performance, was all smiles after getting back on the court and contributing to a well-fought win, no matter the stakes, no matter his stat-line. Johnson was good if not great, and we got surprises like 28-year-old Zylan Cheatham bringing energy and chaos, in the good way, to a game that needed it.

Summer League is back, and for a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets squad, it fits them.

“Overtime games are always crazy, just glad we won,” said Jalen Wilson. Those games are always so much more fun when you win and get to celebrate, so you don’t have to go watch film and think about how you lost, so it was good to win.”

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 96, Indiana Pacers 95

Talking to T-WAat

Trendon Watford is once again a Brooklyn Net, and he’s thrilled about it. At least, that’s the impression he gave when speaking to media at half-time of his squad’s contest.

“ [I’m glad] we got it taken care of,” said the 23-year-old. “A year ago, I was in a whole different position, so it’s a blessing to have some stability coming into this season.”

Watford is no fool, of course, knowing that there will be ample opportunity on the rebuilding Nets to shine: “It’s like the end of last year, like, the last 15-20 games of the past year, just getting an opportunity to show what I can do and sort see what direction it’s going in ... whenever I get my opportunity, it’s having the same mentality”

Next Up

Brooklyn plays again Sunday, July 14 vs. Los Angeles Clippers. Starting time is 4:00 p.m. ET, It will air on ESPN+.

• Box Score: Brooklyn Nets 96, Indiana Pacers - NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 96, Indiana Pacers (Video) - NBA
• Trendon Watford went from waivers to Nets ‘stability’ in whirlwind year - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Jordi Fernandez is already leaving his forward-looking imprint on a Nets team facing a long road ahead ($) - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets’ Dariq Whitehead finall y healthy at summer league after lengthy injury battle - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Noah Clowney sets goals for Summer League: Keep growing ($) - Evan Barnes - Newsday
• Jalen Wilson out to prove he’s ready for a bigger role with Nets in 2024 ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Takeaways from the Nets’ 97-95 win over the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas Summer League ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News