Pacers, Nets face off as both look to move past slow starts

The Brooklyn Nets' pursuit of their first win of the season continues on Wednesday night when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.

The Nets fell for the seventh time in as many games on Monday with a 125-109 setback to a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was missing All-Star guard Anthony Edwards (hamstring).

Cam Thomas scored 25 points and Nic Claxton collected 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Brooklyn, which also started 0-7 to begin the 2015-16 season. The worst start in the team's NBA history, however, came in 2009-10 when it went 0-18 while playing in New Jersey.

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez wasn't interested in the doom and gloom, however. In fact, he saw positives in the team's play on Monday.

"I think the energy in the group was great," Fernandez said. "It's part of life, you have to embrace adversity and try to figure it out. If we play like this, we're gonna start seeing wins. That's the identity we want to show, when we fight and fight and play the right way.

"... You can build from this. Things don't change overnight. Right now, we're seeing positive steps. That's what I want to keep seeing from the group."

Fernandez might want to see his team play a bit stingier on defense. After all, the Timberwolves shot a scintillating 56.4% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range. They also exploited the interior to the tune of 56 points in the paint.

Brooklyn's Noah Clowney totaled 15 points and six rebounds after being inserted into the starting lineup in place of Michael Porter Jr., who sat out due to undisclosed personal reasons.

"I think we played hard. I think in the fourth they made shots and we didn't, that's the reality," Clowney said, per the New York Daily News. "And a lot of transition stuff, we could've avoided, but I think we played a lot better. We looked like a team (Monday), I think."

The defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers were unable to build off their first win of the season and dropped a 117-115 decision to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo provided the death knell for Indiana after sinking a 16-foot jumper to beat the buzzer.

"This is all you can ask for. We were down double digits again in the fourth quarter and fought back to tie it and were right there again," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "This journey is difficult, but important. We've all got to keep our eye on the ball, keep fighting and keep giving ourselves chances."

Pascal Siakam collected 32 points and eight assists to lead the way for Indiana.

Isaiah Jackson added a season-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds as he continues to round into form after missing the majority of the 2024-25 season with an Achilles injury.

"He's at the beginning stages of return-to-play," Carlisle said of Jackson. "... It makes sense that he's getting his legs under him. He's getting his rhythm. He's getting stronger, recognizing situations better and better, and he's one of our fighters. So it's heartening to see him continuing to trend in a great direction."

--Field Level Media