Nets revive playoff hopes with crucial win against Pacers

Don't count out the Brooklyn Nets just yet.

The Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-111 on Saturday behind a well-balanced attack led by Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.

Williams was hot early on. He paced the Nets with 15 points in the first quarter as he overwhelmed Pacers guard George Hill with his size advantage on hard drives to the basket.

From there, Lopez and rookie swingman Bojan Bogdanovic took over. Bogdanovic was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field as he finished with 21 points and five rebounds, while Lopez finished with a game-high 26 points and four blocks.

Despite scorching-hot shooting from the Nets, the Pacers still managed to keep it close. Indiana trailed by just one point heading into the fourth.

However, that's when the Nets went on a run, powered by 10 fourth-quarter points by Bogdanovic. Backup point guard Jarrett Jack scored eight straight points, mostly through intentional fouls, to close out the win.

The outing for Brooklyn was their second-highest scoring output on the season, topped only by their 129-127 triple-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

The win puts Brooklyn one game back of the Boston Celtics for the eighth playoff spot in the East. Meanwhile, the loss drops the Pacers to a half-game back of Boston.