The Indiana Pacers grabbed their first win of the 2025 postseason, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their first-round series. Indiana blew the Bucks off the court en route to a massive win to open the series.
More news: Pacers HC Talks Concern in Tyrese Haliburton Game 1 Struggles
The Pacers got contributions from multiple players, but one guard stood out once again. Guard Andrew Nembhard dropped 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, and swiped two steals.
It was another strong performance for Nembhard, as he continued his playoff success. During the Pacers’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago, Nembhard was arguably the best player for Indiana.
During last year’s playoffs, Nembhard averaged 14.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds over 17 games. After this performance, the Pacers may have a playoff star emerging.
Nebmhard set the tone for the Pacers against the Bucks in Game 1 and earned massive praise from his teammates. Pacers star Pascal Siakam opened up on the performance that Nembhard set forth.
“Drew was aggressive from the jump,” Siakam said. “When he’s aggressive and getting downhill, I always tell him he’s one of the best at doing that, and we know what he can do on defense. He’s a special player and we need that from him.”
Center Myles Turner also weighed in on the emergence of Nembhard for Indiana.
“I think he set the tone for us, getting downhill, and I think he went right at Brook a couple times,” Turner said. “He’s a very heavy guard. People don’t realize how strong he is until you see the results. I like the way he established defensively, and I like offensively how he didn’t settle.”
If Nembhard can continue this type of success, the Pacers will be a very tough out in the postseason. Indiana still has their work cut out against the Bucks, but Game 1 was a great start.
The Pacers will try to take a solid 2-0 lead over the Bucks in Game 2 on Tuesday. Indiana should expect a more desperate Milwaukee team, and the Pacers will need to adjust.
More Pacers news:
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Surpassed LeBron James to Make NBA History
Pacers’ Pascal Siakam Ignores Question on Damian Lillard Incident
Pacers’ Pascal Siakam Reveals Honest Feelings on ‘Special’ Playoff Journey
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