Andrew Nembhard helps lead Pacers to NBA In-Season Tournament title game, but injures knee
Consistent playing time has been hard to come by in this year's rotation, but second-year guard Andrew Nembhard has found various ways to produce for the Indiana Pacers this season.
The former Gonzaga men's basketball star did a little bit of everything in 14 minutes of action to help the Pacers (12-8) defeat the Milwaukee Bucks (15-7) 128-119 in the Semifinals of the In-Season Tournament on Thursday in Las Vegas.
Nembhard finished with eight points and went 4-for-5 from the field. He added two assists, one steal and one block off the bench.
His only missed field goal came in the fourth quarter when he injured his right knee while attempting a fastbreak layup. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a sore knee.
"The hope is that it’s not anything serious," said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. "It looks like a hyperextension or something like that, but we’ll see,"
Milwaukee got off to a fast start against Indiana, jumping out to a 23-18 lead through seven minutes before Nembhard checked in. On his first possession, Nembhard drove inside the pain and dished a pass to Myles Turner for a dunk to make it a single-possession game.
Less than a minute later, Nembhard blocked a pull-up jumper from Damian Lillard. Only a few more possessions went by before Nembhard returned to the bench for the rest of the half. The Pacers led 63-51 at the break.
The Bucks opened the third quarter on a 17-4 run take a one-point lead, which grew to six points before Nembhard checked back in.
Nembhard scored his first points on a midrange jumper near the free-throw line to even up the score at 78-78. Milwaukee went on a 4-0 run to pull back ahead, but Nembhard responded with another shot from roughly the same area.
The 23-year-old scored four more points in the quarter to keep Indiana afloat as the team struggled to score against Milwaukee's defense. The Pacers trailed by three points entering the fourth.
"Andrew Nembhard gave us a big lift in the third quarter when we were reeling," Carlisle said. "[Milwaukee's] zone was a problem. He helped us get the ball in the basket three or four straight times."
On Indiana's first play of the fourth quarter, Nembhard assisted a midrange jumper from Bennedict Mathurin to make it a one-point game.
Nembhard helped the Pacers pull ahead 97-95 after intercepting a corner-to-corner pass from Cameron Payne, which sparked a possession that ended in a driving layup from Aaron Nesmith.
Nembhard was a difference-maker on the defensive end, where he had numerous stops against Milwaukee's top guards. When Nembhard entered the game in the 3rd quarter, Damian Lillard didn’t score another field goal until Nembhard was on the baseline with an injured knee.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Pacers went on an 11-4 run to pull away and clinch a spot in the In-Season Tournament Championship on Saturday.
Reaching the final stage of the Knockout Round strengthens Indiana's early-season resume. Through roughly a quarter of the schedule, the Pacers are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
After three consecutive losing seasons, Indiana's turnaround has been spearheaded by its young talent, most notably 26-year-old Tyrese Haliburton. The All-Star point guard had 27 points and 15 assists against the Bucks.
Haliburton is expected to anchor the offense for the foreseeable future, but the Pacers have several promising playmakers on their roster. Among them is Nembhard, who was drafted 31st overall in 2022.
Nembhard is averaging 7.0 points, 4.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 18.1 minutes this season. He's shooting 45.6% from the field on 6.7 attempts per game.
While Haliburton was sidelined due to an illness, Nembhard started and dished out 11 assists as Indiana notched a 144-129 road victory against the Heat last Saturday.
Nembhard's contributions extend to the defensive end, where he's been one of the only bright spots for a group that ranks 28th in defensive rating (119.8). The Pacers give up 124.9 points per game.
In his outing against the Heat, Nembhard helped Indiana hold its opponent to eight points through the game's first five minutes.
The 6-foot-4 point guard has become an exceptional on-ball defender who can disrupt pick-and-roll actions from opposing offenses. He is tied for the second-best steal rate on the team at 2.2%.
As Carlisle continues to experiment with his rotation, Nembhard's effort on both ends could earn him a more prominent role going forward.
Following the In-Season Tournament, the Pacers will go on a four-game road trip to visit Detroit, Milwaukee, Washington and Minnesota.
