(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) – Andrew Nembhard delivers the best game by any Pacer on the season without Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, and T.J. McConnell to lead the Indiana Pacers (13-11) to a 112-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors (13-12).
Indiana did something in the first quarter that they hadn’t done all season long…outscored their opponent by double digits. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry was held to just two points and one-of-six shooting in the opening quarter. Indiana’s defense was the story as they quickly jumped out 10-2 lead in just over the first two minutes of the game. Their lead would grow to 13 and end there after the first 12 minutes of action at 34-21. Bennedict Mathurin and Jalen Smith led the charger for the Pacers with seven points in the quarter and Klay Thompson scored eight for Golden State.
At the start of the game, the Golden State Warriors were 12-point favorites according to Caeser Sportsbook and would play like it in the second quarter because of Thompson. Reminiscent of his 60-point performance six years ago to the day against the Pacers, he would light the Pacers up with eleven points. Golden State went on a 20-2 run in a six-minute span and would take their first lead of the game at 44-42. Indiana would respond, by outscoring the Warriors 17-6 and lead 59-50 at intermission. Standout rookie Andrew Nembhard was responsible for most of the scoring during the closeout for the Pacers with seven points. Thompson led all scorers at the break with 19. In double figures for the Pacers were Nembhard (13 points) and Oshae Brissett (11 points).
Most NBA basketball fans during the Steve Kerr era with Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, the third quarter has frequently been the most dominant quarter for the Golden State Warriors. The Pacers would prevent one of those dominating quarters by only being outscored 31-30 in the quarter. Nembhard’s stellar game would continue in the quarter as he scored eight points, dished out three assists, and corralled three rebounds. For Golden State it was a balanced approach with eight of the nine players scoring that played in the quarter. After 36-minutes of basketball, the Indiana Pacers would hold onto an 89-81 lead.
The Andrew Nembhard game would continue during the final twelve minutes. But first, the Warriors would make this an immediate game by scoring the first six points to cut their deficit to two at 89-87. In fact, they would take a one-point lead at 93-92 for the first time on the night. The two teams would exchange the lead until Indiana closed the final 4:42 on a 13-4 run. A lot of that scoring came from the man of the night in Nembhard with 10 points. Jordan Poole led Golden State in scoring with eight points in the quarter. Indiana would hold on to the defeat the Warriors 112-104, ending their three-game losing streak.
TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew Nembhard (31p, 13a, 8r, 5 triples), Klay Thompson (28p, 8 triples), Jordan Poole (23p, 5r, 4a), Buddy Hield (17p, 9r, 5a), and Jalen Smith (15p, 9r, 3b). For tonight’s full box score, click here.
NOTES: Nembhard recorded the 3rd game with 30+ points and 10+ assists for a rookie in franchise history. Pacers own the best record by an opponent at the Chase Center at 4-0 (Boston is 3-0) and improve to 5-0 on the second night of a back-to-backs. Pacers had six players with 10+ points and held Steph Curry to his lowest point total on the season (12). Nembhard joins Jason Kidd, Steph Curry, and Trae Young as the only rookies in NBA history with 30+ points, 8+ rebounds, 10+ assists, and five made three’s in a game.
NEXT UP: The seven-game road trip concludes on Wednesday in Minnesota against the struggling Timberwolves. They have lost four of their last five games and will be on three-days rest. Tip-off on Wednesday is at 8pm eastern with the Kroger Pregame Show with Pat Boylan starting at 7:30pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.
