Vince Carter scored 28 points and Jarvis Hayes added 15 for the Nets, who lost their third straight game with point guard Devin Harris sidelined with a sprained ankle. New Jersey turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 25 points for Indiana.
The Pacers played without injured starters Mike Dunleavy (knee), Troy Murphy (flu) and Danny Granger (quad), but only trailed once in the early minutes. Dunleavy has missed every game this season.
Indiana took control in the second quarter with an 18-5 spurt that featured seven points by Ford and six by Jarrett Jack, who finished with 11 points.
The Pacers led by seven points at the half, upped the margin to 10 after three quarters and increased it to 72-59 in the opening minutes of the fourth when Travis Diener hit a 3-pointer.
New Jersey then went on a 12-4 spurt to draw within 76-71 on a fast-break slam by Sean Williams.
After a timeout, Ford set up Jack for a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Daniels later slammed home a layup off a nice feed by Josh McRoberts to extend the lead to 81-71 with 6:50 to go.
The Nets never threatened again.
NOTES: Nets C Josh Boone twisted an ankle in the second quarter but quickly returned to the game. ...The Pacers got three technical fouls for illegal defenses. ... Carter was hit in the face by teammate Williams in the fourth quarter while reaching for a rebound. ... Ford also had three of the Pacers' 15 steals. ... Indiana had 12 turnovers, leading to six Nets points.
