Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard hits game-winning shot vs New York Knicks by always looking ahead

Nembhard was clutch on Friday night

May 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) celebrates his big shot against the New York Knicks. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Nembhard missed his first four field goals against the New York Knicks on Friday night, and he was off with his first two outside shots. Nobody will remember that. Instead, his heroics in the final two minutes will be celebrated after he helped push the Pacers to a win and climb back into their second-round series.

The Pacers young starter entered the fourth quarter with zero points. He provided defense, rebounding, and passing throughout the night and still played for over 30 minutes, but his accuracy wasn't there. In fact, with two minutes to go in the game, Nembhard still hadn't found the bottom of the net.

The last 120 seconds belonged to the young guard. After a block from Myles Turner with just over two minutes to go, Nembhard raced ahead toward the basket. With 1:55 remaining, he scored to give the Pacers a 104-102 lead. It wasn't a flashy shot, yet it was very important.

"Basketball is a game of many mistakes... just trying to move on and understand the next play is most important," Nembhard said of his focus despite the early missed shots.

His true heroics were still on their way, though. Over the next 90 seconds, New York did enough to knot the score again. It was 106-106 with 30 seconds left, which set up an epic finish. The Pacers, who were down 0-2 in the series at the time, couldn't afford to drop the game.

Insert Nembhard once again. With the shot clock winding down and just 18 seconds left on the game clock, the second-year guard let a 31-foot three-point shot fly. Despite his off night to that point, he drilled it.

ANDREW NEMBHARD. WHAT A SHOT 😱

PACERS TAKE GAME 3 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AdDmy1nA2r

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 11, 2024

"I didn't really realize what the time was... so I just had to get something off," Nembhard said of the shot. He remembered being in the moment and was shocked about the deep three going in. He was clearly elated for a few moments, but he and his teammates quickly regrouped for their upcoming defensive play.

Indiana got a stop and held on to win, keeping themselves alive in the series. Despite a crummy night shooting the ball for 46 minutes, Nembhard stepped up when it mattered and delivered the Pacers a much-needed huge shot.

Nembahrd heard from several people that night and after the game. He noted that Mark Few, his college coach at Gonzaga, was one of the more meaningful people to reach out. Many older teammates and coaches also shot Nembhard a message.

"Honestly I felt like I didn't really have an amazing game, so I wasn't super high off the game," Nembhard shared later in the weekend. With playoff games coming so quickly, especially in this series, he made sure to get some sleep on Friday night. He doesn't want to dwell on the good or bad moments for too long.

"Made my night a little bit better. Honestly, it made it easier to sleep," he said of his shot through a smile.

Despite finishing the night with just five points, Nembhard played valuable defense and added five rebounds and six assists. His shooting wasn't required for most of the game. But when Indiana needed him most, he performed. Now, Indiana has life in the series again.

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• Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle unhappy with officiating vs Knicks, team submits clips to NBA. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers survive a tight fourth quarter to take down the New York Knicks in Game 3. CLICK HERE.
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