Andrew Nembhard helps Indiana Pacers reach NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Andrew Nembhard shined under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden with his best playoff performance thus far in his young NBA career.

The former Gonzaga men's basketball standout finished with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers blow by the injury-riddled New York Knicks, 130-109, on Sunday in New York. Nembhard became the fourth former Gonzaga player to score 20 points in a Game 7, joining John Stockton, Kelly Olynyk and Domantas Sabonis. The 6-foot-5 Canadian went 8-of-10 from the field and knocked down a 3-pointer in 34 minutes of action, as Indiana shot a playoff-record 67.1% from the field and made 13 triples.

The Pacers, who lost by 30 points just five days earlier in New York, got out to a 22-point lead in the second quarter after they made 23 of their first 29 field goal attempts.

Nembhard got going early with five points, including a 3-pointer in transition, with a pair of dimes in the first quarter. He found Pascal Siakam on a sharp pass down the middle of the lane for an easy dunk to make it 13-7. Nembhard also knocked down a midrange jumper over Jalen Brunson for his first field goal.

Guarding the NBA’s leading scorer this postseason proved to be quite the challenge for Nembhard. Brunson, who had five 40-point games in the 2024 playoffs, finished with 43 points and 29 points in the first two games of the conference semifinals. After chasing around Damian Lillard for six games in the first round, Nembhard was tasked with trying to slow down another elite scorer.

Still, the second-year pro never wavered. After struggling for much of Game 3, Nembhard shook off his shooting woes and knocked down a 32-foot 3-pointer in the final seconds to give the Pacers their first win of the series and avoid a disastrous 3-0 hole. Indiana went on to win Game 4 in blowout fashion to even the series, only to lose by 30 points in Game 5.

Back against the wall, Nembhard delivered. Across both elimination games against the Knicks, he averaged 17.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and shot 63.6% from the field. Those clutch performances aided in the Pacers reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2014.

For Nembhard, he’s the first former Gonzaga player to reach the conference finals in their first playoff run. He’s also just the second former Bulldog to start and win a Game 7 (Stockton) and is the third alum to have at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in Game 7 (Sabonis and Stockton).

It’s also the second straight year a former Zag will play in the conference finals. Julian Strawther could join Nembhard in the NBA’s final four if the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.