Andrew Nembhard
It’s become very clear over the last few weeks that the Indiana Pacers record does not matter when you watch them. This teameentered Friday night’s action just 10-35. They have been extremely competitive in recent weeks.
Taking on the NBA Finals champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the epic series, the game once again proved to be something special. Their first regular season meeting needed 2 OT’s to decide a victor. Matchup number one also came down to the final shot.
Isaiah Joe misfired on a three in the waning moments following Jarace Walker’s successful trip to the FT line.
Andrew Nembhard and company were able to do just enough down the stretch to hold on to their lead and take down the reigning champs. The highlights of the incredible game can be found below.
Of course, this was a very well-played game by the visitors. However you slice it, they came, they saw, and they conquered in OKC. Let’s talk about what this game revealed.
Major Takeaways from Pacers vs. Thunder
Any significant takeaway from this game has to start with what it means for the Pacers going forward. Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam are still playing at an extremely high level, and will be key pieces to next year’s attempt to go back to the NBA Finals.
Siakam finished with a line of 21-9-6 in 37 minutes of action. Nembhard himself put up a very impressive 27-7-11 while sinking 10 shots from the field and finishing with a +16 net rating. It was hard to have him off the floor.
Jarace Walker had one of the best games of his NBA career, finishing with 26 points, and sinking a number of clutch free-throws for the visiting team. Since he’s been so up-and-down in his career, a game like this can go a long way.
Takeaway number two is that Chet Holmgren should be a first-time All-Star this year. However many dominant bigs have been in the league, the Gonzaga product is posting 18 points and nine boards per game. He’s blocking two shots per contest while sinking 57% of his shots. This is the anchor for a very good defense that belongs in talks among the best. The final stat-line for Chet was 25-13-3 with three blocks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander himself believes his teammate should join him there, after all.
Read on to section three for the final takeaway.
Takeaway 3: Pacers Need to Run It Back
The third and final takeaway here, is that the Pacers have no reason to blow it up. Stated above was the fact that Nembhard and Siakam are part of the next steps. That part is true. Most every core guy here from last season should probably be as well.
Despite only having 10 victories on the campaign, Indiana got up for this game like it was the biggest of the season. Adding Tyrese Haliburton back into the mix a year from now should absolutely make them a contender. An elite backcourt of he and Andrew Nembhard that is hungry to get it done every night, paired with a star forward who’s still got it.
Tale of the tape shows bits and pieces of the Eastern Conference champ from last season. Of course, so many bits being out have made it hard to complete the puzzle.
Rick Carlisle picked up his 1,000th win this year for a reason. This is a well-coached bunch that is going to be just fine.
Run it back next year. The results will be interesting to see. Wins will follow. No 13-game losing streak.