Andrew Nembhard hits deep 3 late to give Pacers gritty win and save series vs. Knicks
INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Nembhard's 30-plus-foot 3-pointer with 18 seconds left and the shot clock running down put the Pacers in the lead after a rough second half and they held on to beat the Knicks 111-106 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers cut the Knicks series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here are four observations.
Pacers score: Indiana Pacers take down New York Knicks in Game 3 of Eastern Conference semis
Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer highlights gritty fourth quarter for Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton had nowhere to go with the ball when he was trapped at the top of the key with the game tied with 18 seconds to go and the shot clock running down. So he threw it to Andrew Nembhard who wasn't in a great place either, 30 feet from the rim with no time to drive. But Nembhard pulled up from there and heaved a shot and drilled it, giving the Pacers a 109-106 lead after they'd trailed by as many as nine points in the second half. Nembhard scored all five of his points in the game's final two minutes.
"When I got the ball, I didn't really realize what the time was (on the shot clock)," Nembhard said. "Ty said something about looking for it and I saw there was like two seconds on the clock. I knew I had to get something off so I created a little bit of space and put it up."
That lead held up as Jalen Brunson missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the game, Aaron Nesmith grabbed the rebound and hit two free throws with 9.4 seconds to go to essentially clinch it.
The Pacers had been outscored 32-22 and lost what had been a 12-point lead. They were down 95-86 with 10:30 to go when they subbed in most of their starters and 98-89 after Pacers center Myles Turner and Knicks guard Miles McBride traded 3-pointers but they rallied to win the fourth quarter 26-16, with numerous critical defensive stops at key moments to pull off the win. Haliburton scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to 98-96 with 7:42 to go and neither team led by more than three points after that until Nesmith's free throws. Among the most critical moments was a chase down block by Pacers center Myles Turner with 2:03 to go to stop a Josh Hart layup attempt on a fast break that would have put the Knicks up. That turned into a fast-break layup by Andrew Nembhard that put the Pacers up 104-102.
"Just digging in," Haliburton said. "Understanding our backs are against the wall. We're here at home. They handled business getting both at home. Everyone understands what happens when you go down 3-0. We had to come out and play desperate, play hard. The third quarter, it got us again. We've really been poor in these third quarters all series. We just didn't let that deter us."
Tyrese Haliburton regains old form
After the Pacers' Game 1 loss in New York, Tyrese Haliburton said he didn't feel like himself. He scored just six points and took just six shots, including one attempt in a scoreless second half. He said then he would be better, and he was for Game 2 and then even better for Game 3.
Haliburton has re-discovered his outside shot in the playoffs and he was much bolder than he has been in terms of getting to the rim. He cracked double figures by the end of the first quarter, scoring 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting including 2 of 6 from 3-point range. In the second he went off even more, scoring 13 points to enter the half with 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Haliburton again had a harder time getting rolling in the second half, but he finished with 35 points on 14 of 26 shooting, including 6 of 16 from 3-point range with seven assists.
The 35 points were the most he's had in a game since his 44 in a Nov. 30 loss to the Heat in Miami. His 26 field goal attempts were the most he's had since he took 28 in that game.
"Just getting downhill," Haliburton said. "Being aggressive, being who I am."
Haliburton led the NBA in assists this season, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle noted that sometimes when Haliburton isn't aggressive, it comes from a desire to create for his teammates, but he also noted that his aggression makes everything better.
"He adapts quickly," Carlisle said. "For a first-timer in the playoffs, he's had to do some pretty significant adjusting in this series. Sometimes you know you can score, but there's a need to get other guys involved. Sometimes it's the other way around and he knows we need his scoring. ... His aggression was very important in this game. Whether he's scoring a lot of points or not his aggression is going to be very important in this series."
Pacers switch Aaron Nesmith on to Jalen Brunson, see improvement
Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, the Pacers' 24-year-old defensive aces, always draw the toughest two defensive assignments on the board. Nembhard tends to get ball-handlers and Nesmith tends to take on bigger wings, but they have switched before.
Nembhard guarded Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson in Games 1 and 2 and didn't have great results, so Pacers coach Rick Carlisle moved Nesmith on to him for Game 3. It was still a tough assignment, but he had at least a little more success.
Brunson scored just two points in the first quarter on 1 of 5 shooting. In the second he started to find it with 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting, but Nesmith was in his face, fighting through screens and parrying his twists and turns and pivots in the lane.
Brunson still scored 26 points but was 10 of 26 from the field, which was by far his most inefficient evening of the series and they were the fewest points he's scored in a game since Game 2 of the first-round series with the 76ers.
"We saw in the Milwaukee series that every game is different and every game is going to have different things going on," Carlisle said. "You can't give New York a recipe of the same thing over and over again. They're going to adjust. Brunson is too great of a player. The idea was to just change the matchup, get a little more size. Aaron did as good of a job I think as you can possibly do. It's just Brunson is so good."
Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam were better
The Pacers starting 4 and 5 men had brutal performances in Game 2. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam scored 14 points but was 7 of 18 from the floor and 2 of 10 in the second half. Stalwart center Myles Turner had a brutal evening all-around making just 3 of 11 shots for six points.
In Game 3, both players performed a lot closer to their usual standards.
Siakam benefitted from the fact that Knicks All-Defensive team forward O.G. Anunoby, his long-time teammate in Toronto, was out with a hamstring strain. Siakam got to take advantage of his other former teammate Precious Achiuwa for much of the game and got more of a rhythm with his usual arsenal of spin moves to the rim, turnaround jumpers and fadeaways. He finished with 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
"I'm just taking what's there," Siakam said. "I know it feels like we've been together for a while, but I think the guys are still learning about me. Obviously the playoffs, there's a lot going on. It's really hard to think out there and every possession it seems like just matters so much and guys are trying to do the right things. I think for me, the kind of player I am is just finding my way in the flow of the game."
Turner, meanwhile, provided with the necessary production Haliburton needs in a ball screen partner, scoring 21 points on of 7 of 13 shooting, including 2 of 5 from 3-point range. He used his outside shooting to help him with his dribble drive game, utilizing shot fakes to get defenders to fly by him to give him a chance to get to the rim. He also grabbed 10 rebounds had three blocks including a critical one in transition in the fourth quarter.
"He had a very productive game because he rebounded the ball," Carlisle said. "He made timely shots. He made a really important pass late that led to a basket and got us a lead at one point."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Nembhard hits deep 3 to give Pacers gritty win, save series vs. Knicks
