Brook Lopez and the Nets were well aware of what kind of team the Pacers brought to Barclays Center last night.
“We knew they were a contender in the East,” Lopez said, “and we wanted to come out there and prove ourselves against them.”
The Nets proved plenty against an Indiana outfit that had gone 13-3 in its past 16 games — as did Lopez.
The 7-footer delivered a miserable first three quarters before spearheading the Nets’ fourth-quarter eruption in a come-from-behind, 97-86 win.
After shooting just 1-for-8 from the field through three quarters, Lopez poured in 10 points in the fourth, hitting four of his six shots. He also pulled down four rebounds and blocked a shot in the quarter en route to his 15-point, nine-rebound, two-block night.
“I knew we were down,” Lopez said, “and I wanted to help the team out.”
Lopez bemoaned how he wasn’t particularly aggressive during “most of the game,” but during the Nets’ 17-0 spurt in the fourth that turned a 77-69 deficit into an 86-77 lead, he contributed eight points.
Lopez sank a jumper to cut the lead to 77-73, drilled another to make it 77-75, dropped in two free throws to put the Nets in front 81-77 and converted a third jumper to push the bulge to 85-77. He later capped off his fourth-quarter deluge by slamming in a dunk.
“He knew he was, at times, going up a little soft,” Deron Williams said. “And [Pacers center] Roy Hibbert is a good defensive player and a good defensive center. He was making it tough for Brook to get a lot of his shots off.
“But in the second half, and really the fourth quarter, he was a lot more aggressive, went up stronger, and he got those two 17-foot jump shots that gave him a little confidence. And once he got that, he was ready to go.”
The 24-year-old Lopez has been ready to go since P.J. Carlesimo assumed the head-coaching role. Under Avery Johnson, Lopez was averaging 17.5 points. With Carlesimo, he’s pushed it to 20.3 as the Nets have gone 8-1.
“I think we can compete with anyone,” Lopez said.