Brooklyn did enough in a low-scoring game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, taking an advantage into the fourth quarter and preserving it.
The Brooklyn Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 98-90 on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with Michael Porter Jr. scoring 23 points and Day'Ron Sharpe supplying a game-high 13 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard also scored 23 for Indiana.
File photo: Tyrese Haliburton with Indiana in Washington in March 2025; not the November 1, 2026 game. Photo: Chensiyuan. Source photograph · CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Pacers' official game report, updated Sunday evening, confirmed the final score. The statistical record shows how Brooklyn created enough separation without a high-scoring offensive performance.
The third quarter creates a useful margin
Brooklyn led 20-19 after one quarter and 43-40 at halftime. Its 28-22 advantage in the third pushed the margin to nine points entering the fourth, giving Indiana a larger gap to close in the last period.
The Pacers won the fourth quarter 28-27, but that one-point difference was insufficient to undo the earlier deficit. The period totals are a straightforward explanation of the finish: Indiana improved its scoring, yet did not reduce Brooklyn's output enough to reverse the result.
That distinction matters in a game where neither team reached 100. A rally can contain productive possessions and still fall short if the opponent continues finding answers at the other end.
Porter and Sharpe provide different kinds of value
Porter's 23 points matched the game's highest total. Sharpe's 13 rebounds led both teams in the listed individual statistics, adding a separate contribution to Brooklyn's winning effort.
The two numbers describe different jobs. Scoring converts a possession into points; rebounding can finish a defensive possession or create another chance. In a close, comparatively low-scoring game, both kinds of work belong in the explanation of the result.
Nembhard's 23 gave Indiana a matching individual scoring performance, but a head-to-head comparison between the leading scorers cannot establish the outcome of the other possessions. Brooklyn's advantage was built over the full sequence of quarters.
Read the result with the right date attached
The November 1 meeting was played in Indianapolis. It should be distinguished from the teams' October matchup and from older Nets-Pacers results that can appear alongside it in search listings.
For the complete individual lines and any statistical corrections, use the official game report and linked box score. The final margin is settled: Brooklyn left Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a 98-90 victory after making its earlier advantage last. Find more NBA reporting in Taken Social's Sports section.
