The Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-116 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday to secure their second straight win.

The Pacers were supposed to be an easy opponent for the Nets because they have been so far one of the worst defensive teams in the league, not to mention that one of their best defender, Myles Turner, sat out Saturday's game for injury management. They were unlikely to contain the firepower of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The Nets had reason to be confident in themselves as well with the return of elite shooter Seth Curry. Theoretically, coach Steve Nash could assemble a sharp squad that included four shooters and Ben Simmons as the playmaker for good offensive efficiency.

However, the game didn't go as planned for Brooklyn. Irving was unstoppable, shooting 13-for-22 from the field to score 35 points and six assists, but Durant was not in his best form as he missed eight of his jumpers and even four layups. Curry was still rusty and missed all five of his attempts from deep.

More importantly, the Nets' defense was even weaker than that of their opponents. The Pacers shot 23-for-46 at the 3-point line, matching the record of the number of triples allowed by the Nets. The last time they conceded so many 3-pointers was in January 2019 against the Houston Rockets, but that game went to overtime and the Rockets took as many as 70 attempts beyond the arc.

In Saturday's game, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and rookie Bennedict Mathurin combined to drain 17 triples – both Haliburton and Mathurin knocked down over 60 percent of their threes. As the sixth selection of the 2022 NBA Draft, 20-year-old Mathurin also went 10-for-10 in free throws to score a team-high 32 points.

It's not just the 3-point line that the Nets failed to protect. Their rebounding fell short as well, with the Pacers leading them 17-6 in offensive rebounds. Third-year big man Jalen Smith contributed seven of them, helping his team score 11 more second-chance points. The team's second-year forward Isaiah Jackson also had his way under the Nets' rim, where he went 8-for-13 in FGs to get a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Ben Simmons, who was supposed to connect the Nets defensively, failed to do his job again. He watched Haliburton, whom he guarded in the original matchup, score 26 points and eight assists without much sweat. Simmons also made little impact as a small-ball center. Durant delivered more blocks and Nic Claxton grabbed more rebounds than he did.

After four consecutive losses, the Nets have fallen to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Miami Heat 113-119 Sacramento kings

The Kings claimed their first win of the season after six of their players scored in double-digits, led by Kevin Huerter's 27. He also shot a team-leading 7-for-8 from downtown. The fourth selection of this year's draft, Keegan Murray, scored 20+ points (22) for the first time in his second start. De'Aaron Fox only ranked fourth in scoring (17), but when he focused more on grabbing rebounds (13) and pushing the pace instead of holding on to the ball, the Kings' game grew smoother.

Tyler Herro scored a game-high 34 points for the Heat. His efforts in the final quarter translated to 15 points, but not a comeback win for his team. Bam Adebayo did well enough on the offensive end with 26 points before he fouled out, but when he was drawn out of the paint by Domantas Sabonis, the Heat's paint was no better than a free theme park for the opponents.

Atlanta Hawks 115-123 Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo was not in good form in the first three quarters of the game, as he went 5-for-15 from the field. Jrue Holiday, who had a double-double of 24 points and 10 assists, and Brook Lopez, who drained five triples for 19 points during that period, helped the Bucks survive the first three quarters until Antetokounmpo woke up to dominate the paint and score 17 points in the final quarter.

Trae Young took as many as 32 FG attempts to drop 42 points for the Hawks. He and Dejounte Murray tried over half of the team's shots and generated more than 50 percent of their points and assists. That's how much the Hawks relied on the two at Fiserv Forum on Saturday night and why they lost this game.

Oklahoma City Thunder 117-111 Dallas Mavericks

The Thunder trailed by 16 points (95-79) at 4:53 in the fourth quarter. That's when they sent Isaiah Joe, who had averaged 1.8 minutes for the team before Saturday, to the floor. It seemed very much like throwing in the towel. Nonetheless, Joe shot 4-for-4 in FGs, including making three triples, to score 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime for the Thunder, making contributions to the team's comeback victory.

Luka Doncic dropped a triple-double of 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavericks despite going 8-for-23 from the field. He and Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who shot to kill in the mid-range to get 38 points, six rebounds and nine assists, nearly matched each other in numbers, but the Thunder won.

Golden State Warriors 113-120 Charlotte Hornets

Philadelphia 76ers 114-109 Chicago Bulls

Memphis Grizzlies 123-124 Utah Jazz