'He was incredible.' Andrew Nembhard's brilliant Game 3 comes up just one play short

INDIANAPOLIS -- It could have been, should have been, remembered as Andrew Nembhard’s breakout playoff game.

The 24-year-old Pacers guard was brilliant in front of a raucous, Indy 500 eve crowd Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston. Nembhard eclipsed his playoff scoring high by early in the third quarter on the way to a 32-point, nine-assist, two-turnover game.

“There’s no bigger fan of his game than me,” teammate T.J. McConnell said. “He’s a really, really good player. We would not be in this position without him.”

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Basketball can be cruel, however. On a night when the Pacers played without their biggest star — Tyrese Haliburton was ruled out with a sore left hamstring and limited to unofficial assistant coach — Nembhard and the Pacers did everything but shut the door on the Celtics. Boston slipped through to rally from an eight-point deficit in the final 2 minutes, 38 seconds for a 114-111 victory to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Nembhard, the second-year guard from Gonzaga, and the veteran McConnell combined for 55 points to help make up for the absence of Haliburton. During a key stretch late in the fourth quarter, Nembhard drilled a 16-foot step-back jumper, then buried a 3-pointer on the next possession. McConnell then fired in a 3-pointer off an assist from Nembhard, then scored on a finger roll layup on the next possession.

The problem: the Celtics kept scoring, too. After Boston took a 112-111 lead on two Jrue Holiday free throws with 39 seconds left, Nembhard missed long on a 12-foot pullup. But he got one more chance after Jayson Tatum missed on a driving layup with 8 seconds remaining.

Nembhard pulled down the rebound and took off up the left side of the court. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle opted not to call a timeout.

“With eight or nine seconds left and you are in transition after a miss, I trust our players to create a better shot than call a timeout and having them set their defense,” Carlisle said. “ … It’s more of a play basketball-type situation and we’ve done well this year trusting our players.”

On this occasion, though, the Celtics’ defense was ready. Holiday, one of the best defenders in the NBA, initially lost his balance and slipped as Nembhard attempted to drive the lane. But he quickly walled off the Pacers guard and simultaneously stripped the ball away with his left hand. He was finally fouled with 1.7 seconds remaining.

“I was trying to get a shot and it got out of in front of me and slipped,” said Nembhard, who was clearly taking the loss hard after the game. “Turnover.”

The Pacers had one more chance with Nembhard, who was 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, inbounding the ball with 1.7 seconds left and the Pacers trailing 114-111. The creative play, similar to four players running football routes, got a clean look for Aaron Nesmith, who missed a 3-pointer short.

It was a valiant effort from a short-handed group, especially from Nembhard, who played like a major part of the Pacers’ future. He is already there, McConnell said.

“The confidence he plays with is incredible,” McConnell said. “You see him bringing the ball up the floor, he’s getting people involved, he’s shooting it and making it at high level. In the playoffs, in the regular season, he’s coming off the bench, he’s starting at ‘2’, he’s starting at ‘1’, he’s the backup point guard. As a kid at his age, getting thrown around like that can maybe mess with your mental (side). But he’s answered the bell all year, his whole career.”

Nembhard had his moments during the regular season and in the playoffs, in particular the Game 3 shot against the Knicks to turn that semifinal series in the Pacers’ favor. But from all-round standpoint — other than the second-to-last possession — Saturday’s game was his finest performance.

“I think I just wanted to get the pace going,” Nembhard said. “I think we play our best when everybody’s touching it and we’re all moving and we’re playing our pace. I just wanted to — not necessarily force the issue — but just let to come to me a little bit.”

Nembhard let it come to him with a 17-point second quarter as the Pacers took a 12-point lead into halftime. He scored on drives, pullups, 3-pointers and floaters, ending the half on a 31-foot 3-pointer. Pascal Siakam, who finished with 22 points, called it an “incredible” performance from Nembhard.

“It’s a tough game when your starting point guard is not in the game and you learn that before the game,” Siakam said. “It takes a lot of maturity and growth to be able to step in the way he did tonight. He was incredible controlling the pace of the game and getting people to their spots. I think that’s something he’s always been able to do and every time he has an opportunity he’s shown it.

"… I’m proud of him. Obviously, we didn’t win the game but I thought he controlled the game so well tonight and was a big reason for us being in the game.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Andrew Nembhard stepped up for Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton injury