• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Despite records, Pacers and Nets still thinking playoffs

Mar 26, 2008 - 2:14 PM Indiana (29-42) at New Jersey (30-41) 7:30 pm EDT

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) - The New Jersey Nets are 11 games under .500. The Indiana Pacers are 13 games under .500. Despite the records, both teams remain in contention for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Nets and Pacers are chasing Atlanta for eighth place in the East, with the winner of that battle likely booking a first-round playoff matchup against Boston.

New Jersey is coming off a 106-91 victory at New York on Monday, but New Jersey is 4-9 in the month of March. The victory ended the Knicks' chances of a four-game season sweep.

"We weren't really thinking about a sweep," New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. "Regardless of who we play, we need to win as many games as possible."

The Pacers had a season-high four-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday with a 114-106 home loss to New Orleans.

It was the first game for Indiana since CEO Donnie Walsh announced he was leaving the team at the end of the season. The defeat clinched back-to-back losing seasons for the Pacers for the first time since the 1987-88 and 1988-89 campaigns.

The teams have split the first two games of the four-game season series, each team winning at home. The teams meet for the final time Friday in Indiana.