Livin’ on a prayer: Nembhard’s heave saves Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Nembhard had been invisible. Then he stole the show — and the game.
For most of the night, the Pacers guard couldn’t buy a basket. Until he hit the biggest one of the evening, a long, last-ditch 3-pointer that broke a tie in the waning seconds and the Knicks’ collective backs.
Indiana pulled out a must-have 111-106 Game 3 win over the Knicks in front of a sellout crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. And they did it thanks to Nembhard’s 30footer with just 17.8 seconds remaining.
“When I got the ball I didn’t really realize what the time was. [Tyrese Haliburton] said something, I looked up and it was like two seconds on the clock so I just knew I had to get something off. So I created a little bit of space and put it up,” said Nembhard, his mind going blank as he was mobbed by his teammates.
“I was just in the moment. I was kind of shocked a little bit. I was just happy the all went in, and kind of focus on the next thing.” It was an unexpected dagger. Nembhard had been scoreless coming into the fourth quarter, and 1-for-7 before the pivotal moment.
Haliburton found himself facing center Isaiah Hartenstein and getting ready to make a move when he realized a doubleteam was coming at the top of the key. He hesitated, and tossed Nembhard a so-called grenade.
But he destroyed the Knicks with it.
“I saw me and Hartenstein one-on-one up top, so I just thought get to my shot. But I heard [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau] yelling to double,” Haliburton said.
“I probably held the ball a little too long. I should have been more aggressive to attack the blitz, but I put you in kind of a bad situation. He just made an unbelievable shot. Big, big shot. [He] really just stepped up to the moment when we needed him the most and it was really good to see.”
After the Pacers had blown a dozen-point cushion, and found themself knotted at 106all in a game they couldn’t afford to lose, it was a huge play.
But Nembhard showed the mental fortitude that Indiana has been lacking — and that coach Rick Carlisle has been pleading for.
“He’s one of our toughest guys mentally and physically,” Carlisle said. “And he’s really gained a love for these types of moments. And in playing in this kind of stage, this kind of level of competition.
“The clock was down, and sometimes in those situations it frees you up even more. And he just laced it.”
After Nembhard’s 3, the Pacers forced Jalen Brunson to miss on the other end and held on for the victory.
“Yeah, just digging in. Obviously yeah, he’s missed a couple shots, but he was ready when his time was called,” Haliburton said of Nembhard. “I’m just excited for him because after the Bucks game — Game 3 — he was like, ‘My main playoff moment is going to be an offensive rebound.’ So I’m glad that this is probably his biggest moment now. So I’m excited for him.”