Andrew Nembhard hits clutch jumpers, Indiana Pacers fall to Celtics in OT

Andrew Nembhard had the Indiana Pacers on the verge of their second massive road victory of the playoffs in the past three days.

The former Gonzaga standout came up big in Indiana’s Game 7 win over the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden earlier this week, finishing with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds to help send his team to the conference finals for the first time in a decade.

A quick turnaround pitted the Pacers against the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics (64-18) at TD Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday. Attrition appeared to be a factor early, as Indiana went down 12-0 and missed its first six field goal attempts.

The Celtics looked like a team that took advantage of the six days they had off since eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. The Pacers looked like a team that was playing in their third game in as many cities since last Friday.

Indiana weathered the storm behind the two-man game between Nembhard and Myles Turner in the second quarter. The 6-foot-5 guard recorded four assists on four field goals from Turner over a three-minute span that included a dunk in transition and a pair of 3-pointers. As the Pacers cut a double-digit deficit in half, it was Turner who found Nembhard for a 26-foot 3-pointer to make it 57-55 with 3:22 left before halftime.

Boston went up by 13 points late in the third quarter, only for the No. 6 seed to respond with a 14-2 scoring run over the three minutes and change. Every blow from the home team was followed by a counterpunch from the massive road underdogs. Down 94-93 heading into the fourth quarter, Indiana’s hopes of pulling off the upset were very much alive.

Nembhard embodied his team’s fighting spirit. The Canadian guard had been relatively quiet on the offensive end of the floor for most of the night and had a slow start to the fourth quarter. That didn’t stop him from rising to the occasion when it mattered most.

With Indiana clinging to a 115-114 lead with under a minute left in regulation, Nembhard sized up Al Horford at the top of the key with a chance to extend the lead. A left-hand dribble going into a stepback 15-foot pull-up jumper from Nembhard over Horford made it a 117-114 game with 46.2 seconds left.

That clutch jumper followed another big midrange jumper from Nembhard, who nailed a 21-footer to put Indiana up 115-110. He also sparked a 7-0 scoring run earlier in the fourth quarter.

A missed 3-pointer from Jayson Tatum the ensuing Boston possession had the Pacers just 10 seconds away from a Game 1 win. All Nembhard had to do was inbound the ball to Pascal Siakam and hope the big man knocked down his free throws. Instead, the pass tipped off Siakam’s hands, resulting in Boston taking over with a chance to tie.

Rick Carlisle decided not to tell his team to foul while up three points and it cost them. Jaylen Brown nailed a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench, sending the game to overtime.

Just like that, the Pacers went from one pass and two free throws away from an upset to now facing the No. 1 seed in overtime on the road. Tatum made up for his early miss with a 3-pointer to make it a 4-point game with 31 seconds left, which ended up being enough to propel Boston to a 133-128 come-from-behind victory.

Nembhard finished with 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds in his first conference finals game. He shot 5-of-10 from the field and made two 3-pointers.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is Thursday at 5 pm.