Andrew Nembhard looks to slow down Damian Lillard

Former Gonzaga guard hasn’t backed down from Milwaukee’s All-NBA talent through two playoff games

Few NBA players making their playoff debut this postseason have a tougher assignment than Andrew Nembhard.

The former Gonzaga men's basketball standout in his second season with the Indiana Pacers has spent much of his first two playoff games chasing around All-NBA guard Damian Lillard through ball screen after ball screen, trying to make Lillard’s job of carrying the Milwaukee Bucks without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo that much more difficult. Nembhard has already guarded some of the league’s best players this early into his career, though Lillard is near the top of the list as one of the most clutch playoff performers in recent memory. The 6-foot-2 guard averages 26.0 points through 63 career postseason games and has knocked down a pair of series-winning buzzer-beaters during his 11 years with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now with the Bucks, Lillard has been on fire in the first round against the Pacers. He put 35 points, all before halftime, to lead Milwaukee to a 109-94 win in Game 1, followed by a 26-point first half in Game 2. All while Nembhard relentlessly fought through screens from Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez in pursuit of Lillard, who’s second in playoff scoring at 34.5 points per game. In Nembhard’s defense, there’s not much he can do against Lillard’s stepback 3-pointers and fallaway jumpers.

That said, the 6-foot-5 Candian’s resilience on both ends of the floor has been a difference maker in Indiana stealing homecourt advantage after tying the series 1-1. Following a quiet Game 1 in which he had six points and three assists, Nembhard stepped up in a big way with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 125-108 victory in Game 2. He shot 8-of-11 from the field and knocked down one 3-pointer.

According to basketball-reference.com, Nembhard’s latest performance was the second-most productive game from him this season based on “Game Score,” which was created to give a rough measurement of a player’s productivity for a single game. Perfect timing for one of the best games in his career considering his teammate and All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was held to 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor in the win. Pascal Siakam had another big night with 37 points and 11 rebounds, though if Indiana is to get past the first round it’ll need more from its starting backcourt, particularly on the defensive end.

It wasn’t just Nembhard’s offensive contributions that stood out in Game 2, either. In the second half, he held Lillard to eight points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor after he dropped 26 points in the first half. Similar to the second half of Game 1, in which Lillard went 0-for-5 from the field and didn’t score after halftime, Nembhard wasn’t phased by big scoring outputs from Lillard.

Nembhard, whether intentional or not, managed to get under Lillard's skin after both got tangled up on an inbounds play during Game 1, resulting in a double-technical assessed to both guards. Nembhard got a second technical in Game 2 after an altercation with Patrick Beverly. Safe to say there's no backing down from the 24-year-old playing on the biggest stage of his career.

That toughness from the second-year pro has put his team in a position to capitalize off homecourt advantage in Games 3 and 4.

"It's about just being physical, understanding what coverage we're in and trying to execute it at the highest level possible," Nembhard said to the Indy Star after Game 2. "Staying attached to him. Making it tough. Trying to wear on him as the game goes on."