Obi Toppin makes sure Pacers thrash Nets in final road game of 2025-26
It would have been hard to lose that game.
MY OFFICE, Ind. – The Pacers were in Brooklyn on Thursday night in their final game in which both teams had their eyes on the inverse standings. The Nets, who entered with 20 wins, actually had more incentive to lose than the Pacers, who entered with 18 wins. And the Nets starting center was Trevon Scott, who they signed to a 10-day contract on April 2.
Scott was their tallest player at six-foot-eight. Everyone else available for Brooklyn was wing sized or shorter. Only seven Nets players suited up. Jay Huff, Micah Potter, and Obi Toppin were all taller than every Nets player. Even Jarace Walker had a height advantage over all but one matchup.
That alignment made everything incredibly easy for the Pacers. Their first two plays featured Potter tossing the ball to a teammate for easy baskets at the rim. In the first quarter, the Pacers made two corner threes, and every other point they scored was right at the rim. Life came easy, they were ahead 31-14 after 12 minutes.
"We always want paint touches," Toppin said postgame of the Pacers strategy when interviewed on the FanDuel Sports Indiana broadcast (all quotes in story from said broadcast). "(Acting head coach) Lloyd [Pierce] emphasized getting the ball into the paint."
Tony East
That was an easy emphasis for the Pacers with their height edge. High quality shots were the most obvious benefit. But the Pacers had zero pressure to face on defense, dominated the glass, and scored in the paint almost every trip. At halftime, their edge on the glass was 39-19. Their first-half lead reached 30.
"48 points in the paint. Zero points off turnovers. We're taking care of the ball," assistant coach Johnny Carpenter, sitting on the front of the bench thanks to the coaching staff shakeup for this game, said at halftime. "In transition, we're getting behind [the defense] early."
Carpenter's voice was fading away. Coaching in a new role, and with a lot to be excited about, he hoarsely addressed his family at halftime. Clearly, he was proud of how his team was playing.
The Pacers size edge continued to be the difference in the second half. Huff finished with six made two-point shots and didn't even attempt a three. It was the second-most twos he's made in a game this season, and the most he's made without attempting a three.
Potter had 18 points and 14 rebounds, grabbing almost every ball that came off the rim. He led all players in defensive and offensive rebounds, and he, too, lived on the interior more than normal with seven made shots inside the arc.
The truly dominant frontcourt player was Toppin. He was the best player available for either team in the game and played like it. He cut to the basket for easy catch-and-scores, finished lobs high above the rim, made tidy toward-the-cup passes, and even took his defender off the bounce a few times. The Nets could not stop him.
Toppin shared that he gets a little bit of extra juice every time he goes to play in New York, where he was born and raised. He lifted the team with his spirit and play early in the game, then continued to lift the Pacers by being the best player on the hardwood.
"Just energy," he said of what he brought in the first half. "Finding the mismatches in the paint and getting the easy buckets."
Toppin's 26 points and nine rebounds were both season highs. It was a reminder of what he is capable of when healthy, and he did it without any of the Pacers top talents available to bounce off of. He was terrific.
"I wanted to come back, get these last couple of games in, so that I can be mentally prepared for the summer," Toppin said of his motivations to return from a long absence this season. He hoped for a regular summer, and a takeover performance like this one will certainly make him feel better about what he can be in 2026-27 after his foot injury.
Potter, Walker, Huff, and Toppin were four of the Pacers top five scorers – Ethan Thompson's 15 points provided a helpful change of pace from the perimeter. It was an easy night for the Pacers, who lived at the rim on one end and prevented the Nets from getting there on the other.
In the end, the Pacers had 80 points in the paint, a season high number. They're 3-0 when they reach at least 63 points in the paint. Paint to great, as they say.
Toppin inspired it all, but everyone who suited up contributed. The final score was 123-94, and it was win number 19 for the Pacers, who have two games left. One more loss and they will secure the top possible odds in the May 10 draft lottery.
G League awards honor Pacers/Boom talents
The NBA G league honored its 2025-26 All G League first, second, and third teams earlier this week as well as its All-Defense and All-Rookie teams. While the Noblesville Boom and Pacers had injury-filled seasons, there were still some honors sent the organization's way.
Mac McClung, who was named to the All G League first team, played for the Pacers early in the season but never the Boom. Ex-Pacers draft pick Tristen Newton was named to the same squad.
Former Pacers and Boom guard RayJ Dennis was named to the third team. While Dennis only played in two games with the Boom and 13 with the Pacers, he was the only player with any Boom experience this season to be named to an All G League team of any kind. He's currently with the Atlanta Hawks on a two-way agreement after averaging 20.5 points and 8.5 assists per game with the Boom.
No Boom players were named to the G League All-Rookie team, but current Pacers two-way player and Boom standout Jalen Slawson was named to the all-defense team. He uses his size well defensively and averaged 1.3 steals plus 2.3 blocks per game. His blocks have stood out at the NBA level with the Pacers.
"It's the first time we've ever had a G League guy on the first team All-Defense. So congratulations to him. Certainly deserved," Carlisle said of Slawson. "He's active. He gets there and he doesn't give up on plays. That's the really compelling thing about when you watch him, he stays in plays and he makes some spectacular blocks."
HOW many starting lineups?
The Pacers started Quenton Jackson, Thompson, Walker, Slawson, and Potter against the Nets. It was their 47th starting lineup of the season, an absurd number.
Only the Washington Wizards (50) have more opening groups this season. And 47 for the Pacers is more than the previous two seasons combined.
It speaks to their injuries and need for experimentation at this point in the season. "I'm not counting. This season has been all about finding the opportunities," Carlisle said when the team had 41 different starting lineups. "You can look at a lot of different things. If I went back and watched clips of the first 10 games, it would be shocking, some of the lineups we had out there to start games... there's been a lot of movement, a lot of guys in and out."
New TV home coming for the Pacers?
The Pacers will have to find a new TV home for next season. The NBA told them to, per a report from Sports Business Journal, along with 12 other teams thanks to Main Street Sports Group winding down.
So, no more FanDuel Sports Network after the final two games. And all the credit to Dustin Dopirak and the Indianapolis Star for this – the Pacers have commented on the matter.
"We're throwing a very wide net and looking to both potential over-the-air partners and direct-to-consumer partners and looking at every possible option to reach as many of our fans as we can next season over local television," Raines told the Star. I encourage you to read that story here for all the details.
Two more games for the Pacers this season, both at home. Sign up to have stories from those games emailed straight to your inbox.
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