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Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard scores 10 points to help Canada take down France in exhibition

Nembhard and Canada played a second international exhibition on Friday

Tony East

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard of Team Canada defends Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday of Team USA during the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas on July 10, 2024. (Mandatory Photo Credit: USA Basketball/Alex Shigio)
Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard of Team Canada defends Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday of Team USA during the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas on July 10, 2024. (Mandatory Photo Credit: USA Basketball/Alex Shigio) /
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Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard suited up for Team Canada in an exhibition match against France on Friday ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

Nembhard was named to Canada's roster earlier this month. He is one of the 12 players that will try to earn a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he will look to improve his own skills during these tune-up matches. "How to draw fouls. And rebounding," Nembhard said of what he is working on.

He played for Canada against Team USA just over one week ago. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was across from him for the United States, and Team USA won that game.

Nembhard and Canada were hoping for a better result this time around versus France, and the game was in Orléans, France. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Lu Dort, Dillon Brooks, and Dwight Powell were Canada's starters.

That group was a part of a clunky start. Rudy Gobert opened the scoring for France, but after just over two minutes of play, it was still only 2-2. Both teams were missing shots before Gobert broke the deadlock with a dunk.

Gilgeous-Alexander gave Canada the lead with a three soon after, though, and they raced ahead after that. It was 15-6 Canada after a few minutes of play — France was already in foul trouble despite the first quarter still having plenty of time on the clock.

At 15-8. Nembhard entered the game for the first time. The French side surged and cut into the lead around this time, but the Pacers guard stabilized things for his team with a personal run of scoring.

Nembhard had six early points, and Team Canada was ahead 25-19 after the first period. And Nembhard was still on the floor to start the second quarter. He went 3/4 from the field in his first stint, only missing a three, and he had six points and two assists at the time.

Indiana's young ball handler came back in later in the first half with Canada still ahead, but he didn't produce any stats during that time. France, thanks to some ridiculous shot making from Victor Wembanyama, climbed back into the game.

It was 44-40 in favor of Canada at halftime. Nembhard still had six points and two assists, and Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 13 points at the time.

France opened the second half with a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead. Brooks committed a few fouls in quick succession, putting himself in foul trouble. That led to a stoppage — Canada needed to regroup.

They answered with a five point burst of their own to get the lead back, but it was a tight game again. The top talents for both teams made important plays that were tough to guard — Wembanyama had nearly a foot of height advantage over his matchups.

Nembhard didn't re-enter the game until there was about three minutes on the clock in the third quarter. Canada was ahead 51-47 at the time, and the action remained close for a few possessions. But Toronto Raptors forward/center Kelly Olynyk changed everything. He hit a big three and pushed ahead in transition for a layup, and Canada was up by nine with 87 seconds left in the third period.

Nembhard made it happen in that final stretch. He had a slick assist to Olynyk before charging hard for a layup on the following possession. It was 64-58 in favor of Canada after three quarters.

Nembhard had another assist during this stretch, and the Canadians were up by five early in the fourth quarter. When he exited the game, he had eight points and four assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander knocked in a three with about 7:30 to go in the game, and it gave Canada a 71-61 lead. He was having an excellent night, and France's offense was letting them down for much of the second half. The hosts were nearly out of time.

Canada's lead reached 13 when Nembhard re-entered the action, and he instantly hit a mid-range fadeaway shot that extended the lead to 76-61. Canada was running away with the game late.

They held on in the final minutes and beat France 85-73. The first and fourth quarters proved to be the difference. Nembhard finished with 10 points, one rebound, and five assists.

Team Canada plays one final exhibition game on Monday when they take on Puerto Rico at 12:30 p.m. EST.

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Tony East
TONY EAST

Tony East is the Publisher of AllPacers. He has previously written for Forbes Sports, the West Indianapolis Community News, WTHR, and more while hosting the Locked On Pacers podcast.

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