Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets’ race towards the final Play-In Tournament spot may have reached its final lap on April 3, 2024. Yet, appreciative of the opportunity to both test their mettle against a future Eastern Conference Finals representative and provide a potential preview of 2024-25, Brooklyn found enough footspeed to outrun the NBA’s second-fastest-paced team. Hitting the snooze button often enough to find themselves in an early-game, 14-point hole, the youthful Nets used poise and resiliency to readjust, clawing out for one of their season’s signature wins. In tossing a proverbial wrench into the Indiana Pacers’ plans of avoiding the dangerous Play-In round, Brooklyn rode standout contributions from Noah Clowney — the second-youngest Net to record a 20-point performance — and dazzling offense from Cam Thomas (27 points). Specializing on the less glamorous side, Nic Claxton helped hold league history’s sixth-best offense to just 51.7 percent on 58 paint attempts, supplying the much-needed balance for a 115-111 upset. The win also helped Brooklyn exact revenge, splitting the home-and-home series after losing to Indiana two days prior.