Following tumultuous weekend, Nets answered the call in win over Pacers

There are no "must-win" games two weeks into an NBA season.

So it’s probably inaccurate to say that the Nets needed to win on Monday against Indiana.

But it’s easy to see how a loss to the Pacers on Monday could have sent this season down a dangerous path.

The Nets were coming off of an embarrassing loss to Indiana on Saturday. Steve Nash questioned the commitment of his team. The players held a private meeting after the loss.

So if the Nets lost to Indiana on Monday, no one would’ve been surprised if governor Joe Tsai started to lose patience with the group.

Remember: Tsai had publicly rebuked Kyrie Irving for sharing a link to a documentary that included anti-Jewish messaging. A few months earlier, he encountered a trade demand from Kevin Durant and took a hard stance against a max extension for Irving.

He also stood by Nash and GM Sean Marks after Durant reportedly told the owner that he’d stay in Brooklyn if Nash and Marks were fired.

Amid all of the offseason drama, would Tsai have remained patient if the Nets lost back-to-back games to the Pacers?

Unlikely. Even before Saturday’s loss, the Nets had been active in cursory trade discussions with at least one Western Conference team. Surely, the Nets aren’t the only team talking about potential deals at this point in the season. But the idea that Brooklyn was at least talking about potential trades last week underscored the sense of urgency around here.

So, yes, a Nets loss on Halloween could have given "Scary Hours" a whole new context.

Fortunately for Brooklyn, it didn’t come to that.

Behind a strong performance from Durant and solid team defense, the Nets beat the Pacers, 119-106, on Monday night.

"It was very important for us to get a response," Nash said after publicly challenging his players 48 hours earlier.

Nic Claxton responded, putting up 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks against the Pacers and Myles Turner. With Ben Simmons out, Joe Harris moved into the starting lineup and defended well. Durant had 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Did the message from that team meeting on Saturday carry over to the court?

"Honestly, talk is cheap. Everybody in the organization, we’ve just been pissed off," Claxton said. "We want to be better. So I don’t know (if the meeting had an impact). But everybody being on the same page today, that’s what matters."

If they can stay on the same page and win games, there won’t be any more early-season games of this magnitude. The Nets’ next must-win will come in the NBA playoffs.