The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Tyrees Halliburton believes the two players deserve credit.
The Indiana Pacers surprised the NBA world, beating the much-loved Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1, 121-112, the Eastern Conference semi-final game.
The 10-man pacers led 23 points from Andrew Nenbird and finished with double-digit points. Tyreese Halliburton dropped 13 assists and the Pacers were able to hold Cleveland at just 23.7% fire from the 3-point range.
Indiana understands that if they try to protect their home court, the Cavs will return in Game 2 in vengeance, but the Pacers have already found Cink in Cleveland’s armor.
Although Halliburton did not lead the Pacers’ scoring efforts, he was probably the best game of anybody on the team, finishing with 22 points, 13 assists, three blocks and one turnover. He was able to shoot 60% solids from the floor, set the tone and start the attack time and time again.
But the often-looked defense of the Pacers, led by Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nenbird, deserves some flowers after the game, as if they combined a 9-12 shooting from the Deep.
“They’re just shooting it confidently now,” said his teammate Halliburton.
“I mean, Double A hurts a bit on his back, so I praise him for his performance and getting over it, especially in the second half.
“He was huge and made a lot of big shots out there that third quarter, and Drew was doing Drew coming in playoff time. He’s incredible. He’s always incredibly, especially defensive.”
In the first round, the Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks despite playing against the Giannis Antetocomo superstar. In the two-round series, opponents once again boast the best players in the series. This time, Donovan Mitchell finished with 33 points, but only one 3-pointer.
Mitchell was protected by Nenbird in the seven minutes, with the All-NBA guard being held to just two points on one shot on the floor, and Halliburton was blown away by his ability to promote to Nenbird’s opportunity.
“His lock-in level is incredible right now,” continued Halliburton. “And I think he’s just doing a great job of coming to him the game and stepping into the shot with confidence. And he’s now shooting the ball incredibly well and defending at a high level. He’s really our defensive snake head.
Of course, Nembhard’s outstanding game should not have been a surprise.
In three NBA seasons, Nenbird emerged as one of the league’s outstanding young security guards, finding the headlines for the second class of backcourt players behind true superstars like Halliburton, Cade Cunningham, Luka Donich and Lamelo Ball.
Nembhard is one of the best role players in the league and despite some clear weaknesses – external shooting – he was able to overcome them with two postseason outings.
Back in the last year, he’s better in the postseason than in the regular season.
| span | ppg | RPG | APG | FG% | 3pt% |
| 2023-24 Regular Season | 9.2 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 49.8% | 35.7% |
| 2023-24 Post Season | 14.9 | 3.3 | 5.5 | 56.0% | 48.3% |
| 2024-25 Regular Season | 10.0 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 45.8% | 29.1% |
| 2024-25 Post Season | 16.3 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 52.2% | 57.1% |
Even on the Olympics stage, he took the opportunity to rise, shooting 58.8% to 50%, 58.8% from the floor of the Paris Games.
As an integral part of the Canadian team hoping to win a medal in 2028 and the Pacers team that won their first NBA title, he quickly shows that he is worth the three-year $59 million extension he signed last summer.