Nembhard puts up double digits but loses out to former USF guard Sunday
Nembhard went up against former USF guard Frankie Ferrari on Sunday (not pictured) in a WCC matchup that fans never got to see materialize at the college level (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images).
Andrew Nemhbard and Bennedict Mathurin couldn’t stop the rookie tidal wave that is Keegan Murray on Sunday. The Indiana Pacers suffered their first loss of Summer League against a stacked Sacramento Kings riding the winds of their No. 4 overall selection’s recent success.
Nembhard got the starting nod once again, this time in a combo guard role alongside fellow draftee from Canada in Mathurin, as second-year player Duane Washington Jr. started at the point. Nembhard only dished out three assists while coughing up five turnovers, but scored 13 points on an efficient 5-for-9 clip.
Meanwhile, Mathurin put up 15 points and undrafted 2021 player Terry Taylor put up a Pacers-high 16 points. The Kings climbed back in the second half thanks to a game-high 23 points from Murray, who’s been averaging 20.3 points on 48.6% through three games so far, and 16 points from former San Francisco Don Frankie Ferrari.
Ferrari was widely Nembhard’s assignment on Sunday, but the former Zag struggled to stay in front of him. The Kings were keen to use screens to get the undrafted USF alumni open from deep, as Nembhard struggled to get over traps and Ferrari went 4-for-6 from deep.
Nembhard also committed all five of his turnovers in the first half, but took care of the ball a lot better in the final 20 minutes. He helped Indiana overcome an eight-point first half deficit to obtain a four-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Murray was feeling dangerous in the fourth quarter however, putting up 11 points down the stretch to ice a 103-96 Kings win.
After ending with a +/- of +21 in game one of the summer league, Nembhard finished Sunday’s effort with one of the worst ratings of the game at -25. He also finished with five rebounds and a steal that led to a one man fast break score, but also picked up five personal fouls in the game.
The Pacers next play against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, where the public should get to see Nembhard matchup with the first point guard taken from this year’s draft, former Purdue guard Jaden Ivey at 6 p.m. PST.
