We’ve got some Eastern Conference action on Sunday evening. The Indiana Pacers are looking to return to their winning ways after an injury-riddled 2025-26 season and are off to a good start. They’ll travel to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets, who are desperate to break out of their perpetual rebuild. Plenty of talent will be on the floor, and both teams will battle for early-season momentum.
The Pacers enter as 6.5-point road favorites, with the game total set at 232.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s my prediction and best bet for this Eastern Conference matchup.
Pacers vs. Nets Preview
So far, the results have been mixed for the Indiana Pacers. The return of star point guard Tyrese Haliburton brings back much of their offensive punch, and the roster’s continuity helps, but it’ll take time for things to gel. Ivica Zubac’s presence will be a long-term positive, and he’s put in a shift so far, scoring 25 points and grabbing 26 rebounds over two games.
The good news is that Haliburton is back. He looks like the dynamic offensive weapon that dominated the 2024-25 postseason. If he keeps up his level of exceptional scoring and passing, Indiana is in for a promising season.
The Brooklyn Nets were a mess last season. After drafting five first-round picks, head coach Jordi Fernández faced a tricky rotation, and the team careened to the bottom of the league. This season, he has considerably more veteran stability. Brooklyn got Julius Randle in a trade for Nic Claxton, giving it a true first offensive option. Heading into his second season with the Nets, Michael Porter Jr. continues to grow as an all-around offensive weapon. The team signed Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner as stable rotation pieces, and they should deliver.
This gives Fernández the green light to play the young players he wants. Day’Ron Sharpe continues to grow into his starting center role and has earned the team’s trust through hard work in the paint. After an inefficient rookie season, Egor Dëmin has slid into a secondary offensive role, and Fernández will trust him to grow his game in increments. Noah Clowney remains a trusted rotation piece, and Nolan Traore also seems to have a role alongside Mikel Brown Jr. in the backcourt.
DNPs for veterans like Terance Mann and Josh Minott won’t ruffle many feathers, but several first-round picks seem to be out of the rotation. Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, Drake Powell, and Joshua Jefferson were DNPs in their first game, and it’ll be interesting to see how their season-long development plan shakes out.
It’ll be interesting to see how this Brooklyn team handles Indiana’s pace. The Pacers want to throw you into rotation and get you uncomfortable defensively, which could be a problem for a Nets team full of new players. It will also test Indiana’s defense against the skilled size Brooklyn can deploy with Randle, Porter Jr., Dëmin, and Brown Jr. Both teams have pressure points to push on in this matchup, and two excellent head coaches will be doing the pushing.
Pacers vs. Nets Pick, Best Bet
Indiana’s offensive pressure should prove too much for this fledgling Brooklyn defense. It will also be tough for Day’Ron Sharpe to impose his will physically on Ivica Zubac, a human brick wall, which will reduce some of Brooklyn’s advantage on the boards. Indiana should pick up its most convincing win of the young season by handling this Nets team on the road.
