INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Nembhard was an invisible man.
Then he stole the show and the game.
For most of the night, the Pacers’ guards were unable to buy a basket.
That wasn’t until he made his biggest shot of the night, a long final 3-pointer to break the tie with just seconds left, and the Knicks’ huddled Bucks made it.
Indiana State won Game 3 against the Knicks, 111-106, in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
And they did it thanks to Nembhard’s 30-foot shot with just 17.8 seconds left.
“When I got the ball, I had no idea how much time was up. [Tyrese Haliburton] I said something and I looked up and saw there were about two seconds left on the clock and I knew I had to do something. So he just created a little bit of space and laid it out,” Nembhard said, his mind blanking as his teammates also mangled him.
“I was just in that moment. I was kind of in shock. I was happy that everything worked out and I could focus on what’s next.”
It was an unexpected dagger.
Nembhard remained scoreless in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-7 until a key moment.
Haliburton faced center Isaiah Hartenstein and was preparing to make a move when he realized a double team was coming up top.
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He hesitated and threw a so-called grenade at Nembhard.
But he destroyed the Knicks with it.
“I saw me and Hartenstein going one-on-one at the top, so I thought I’d take my shot. But I heard [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau] He was yelling at me to make it a double,” Halliburton said.
“Maybe he had too much of the ball. He should have been more aggressive with his blitz attack, but it put him in a little bit of a bad situation. He made an unbelievable shot. Big man, big man. . [He] He just stepped up at the moment we needed him the most and it was really nice to see that. ”
This was a big play after the Pacers blew a 12-point cushion and found themselves tied at 106-all in a game they couldn’t afford to lose.
But Nembhard showed the mental strength that Indiana lacked and coach Rick Carlisle was looking for.
“He’s one of the toughest players, mentally and physically,” Carlisle said. “And he really started loving moments like this. And playing on a stage like this, at this level of competition.
“The clock had stopped, but in those situations you can be even more free. And he just tied the string.”
After Nembhardt’s three points, the Pacers forced Jalen Brunson to miss at the other end and held on for the win.
“Yeah, just digging in. Obviously yeah, he missed a few shots, but when the time came, he was ready,” Haliburton said of Nembhard. “I’m excited for him, because after the Bucks game, Game 3, he said, ‘My biggest moment in the playoffs was offensive rebounding.'” So this is probably the time for him. I’m happy that this is the biggest moment.
“So I’m excited for him.”
