East Notes: Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, Nets, Magic

Pacers

Point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 27 points and 13 assists, and coach Rick Carlisle liked what he saw from the Pacers overall in their win over the Nets on Monday.

“We did a lot of good things offensively,” Carlisle told reporters. “When we’re playing like that, fast and random, we’re tough to play against.”

The Pacers shot a sizzling 52 percent as a team.

“We did a good job pushing the pace,” Haliburton said. “We were getting stops and running. That ultimately led to shots going in. We were playing the right way.”

• Center Myles Turner exited the game after injuring his finger on a dunk attempt in which he was fouled. Carlisle said X-rays determined that there was no fracture.
• Carlisle passed late ex-Celtics coach and executive Red Auerbach for 12th on the NBA’s all-time coaching victories list with 939. Carlisle was drafted by the Celtics out of Virginia in 1984.

Nets

The Nets are on the brink of officially being eliminated from the postseason following Monday’s road loss to the Pacers.

“It’s been a while since the Nets’ had any hope of making the Eastern Conference play-in. But thanks to Monday’s blowout loss and Atlanta’s 113-101 victory in Chicago, Brooklyn is facing elimination in Wednesday’s rematch with the Pacers at Barclays Center,” wrote Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

• Said coach Kevin Ollie, via Lewis: “We’ve got to understand and not be surprised on Wednesday about the pace of the game and how it’s going to be played. They’re gonna come in on Wednesday and try to do the same thing. I know our guys are gonna be ready. We’re going to give a better mental and physical battle, and we’ll come out with a win on Wednesday.”
• The Nets (29-47) can’t lose more than a game or two the rest of the way and then will need some help. But as Lewis wrote, they look like a team that’s already been eliminated.

Magic

It was far from pretty, but somehow, the Magic held on for a one-point win over the struggling Trail Blazers on Monday. And it didn’t happen until Blazers center Deandre Ayton missed a shot jumper at the buzzer.

For now, Orlando (44-31) sits in fifth in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Knicks and one game behind the Cavs for third (entering Tuesday night).

“You want to play a great game but basketball is an imperfect game,” guard Jalen Suggs told reporters after the win. “It’s important to understand that. We learned something tonight. We need to be better, but we got a win.”

• The game marked the 100th career victory for coach Jamahl Mosley. And again, it didn’t come easily. “This is a win we’re going to learn from, and how we have to respect and approach every single night when we come out,” he said.