Indiana vs Brooklyn Prediction: the Nets' First December Trip to be a Good One

T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner recently played for Indiana and will finally play against their former team in Brooklyn. Will they help the New York club win?

The Pacers decided not to sit out the long rebuild and got into the playoff battle. Even the high level of competition in the East does not scare this young team; so far, they are fifth in the conference. Indiana just recently beat Golden State. Although Tyrese Haliburton didn't play then, the Pacers seem less vulnerable now. In their last match, Rick Carlisle's team handled Washington, 121-111, in an expected fashion. Indiana won due to their three-point percentage, and this time, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, Oshae Brissett, and Aaron Nesmith were also involved. Surprisingly, the team only had two blocked shots, although Indiana is 2nd in the NBA in average blocks. 

Brooklyn has stayed in New York for two weeks; during that time, they have won 6 times in 7 games. A successful home winning streak has allowed the Nets to move up to fourth place, although they are still far from the leader. They could catch up with Boston, but their only defeat came against the Celtics. The Nets played their last two games against noticeably weakened Atlanta and Charlotte, and Kevin Durant's wins were modest. Brooklyn won over the Hawks by 4 points - 120-116. Ben Simmons started at center, replacing the injured Nicolas Claxton. The defense in the paint suffered without their star big man, but Irving and Durant made up for him, scoring 33 and 34 points.  

• The Pacers have won four of their last five games at home.
• The Nets had scored 113+ points in 4 of their previous five games.

Indiana's defense has shown some improvement of late, and even at the arc, they have not looked as helpless as they did in the past. The Pacers will face a team with nearly the best shooting guards in the NBA. Joe Harris and Seth Curry are slowly coming to their senses, and Irving and Durant are simply unstoppable. So the only problem now is an injury to their primary center. Day'Ron Sharpe will likely fill out the No. 5 position. Without Simmons, the visitors' defense may be sagging, so it is only logical to expect a high-scoring game.

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