Pacers final score: Andrew Nembhard hits game winner as Pacers stun Lakers 116-115

Andrew Nembhard drilled a buzzer-beating three to lift Indiana to a road win over Los Angeles. Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and 14 assists.

The Indiana Pacers pulled out a truly improbable win against the Los Angeles Lakers, splitting their L.A. back-to-back in stunning fashion. Andrew Nembhard got the walk off, drilling a buzzer beating three to give Indiana a 116-115 victory.

It was a play with so many moving parts that everything had to break perfectly. Myles Turner got a great open look from the top of the arc, but it was far from his night from deep, leaving the three short enough for Bennedict Mathurin to tip the rebound out to a scrambling Tyrese Haliburton. Five seconds remained as Haliburton looked for an opening against a Lakers double team, stopping at the elbow and firing a last second pass to Nembhard, flipping up the game winner.

The shot capped off a 17-point comeback for the Pacers, trailing 101-84 with 9:59 remaining. At that point in the game, it seemed as if Indiana was doomed to repeat themselves from Sunday, missing too many shots at crucial points while Russell Westbrook and the Lakers were in a rhythm.

Out of a Pacers timeout, Indiana finally had a response, scoring 10 straight to climb back in the game. A pair of threes from Aaron Nesmith and a pair of baskets around the rim for Mathurin cut the deficit to seven, putting the Pacers back in business. They would hit three more triples as the quarter progressed to make it a one point game, but similar to Sunday’s game against the other Los Angeles franchise, they were just unable to get over the hump.

They encapsulated that inability to do so when they missed three shots around the rim in one possession, eventually settling on a foul on Anthony Davis with 43 seconds on the clock. Davis split the trip, keeping the game at two, tied up by Haliburton on a wide open drive to the rim. LeBron James had his own drive to the basket to give LA a two-point lead, leading to the wild final possession, all set up without Indiana using their final timeout.

The Lakers really did appear to be in control for much of the game. James made his presence felt by scoring the first seven of the game, but an ankle injury in the first forced him out, essentially resetting his night as the Pacers took a first quarter lead. James would return and Los Angeles would regain the lead, outscoring Indiana by three points in each of the first three quarters to build up a nine-point lead on impressive shot making throughout.

The one quarter Indiana did win was the important one, outscoring LA 32-22 in the fourth. They made six threes in the period, using that to build the comeback, the Nembhard triple giving Indiana six double figure scorers, improving them to 9-0 on the year when they reach such a mark.

Haliburton led the way with 24 points and 14 assists, his third straight game with zero turnovers as well. His shooting also finally started coming back around in the second quarter, going 5-8 for 12 points in the second quarter after blanking from the field in the first. He shot 3-7 from deep.

It was also a bounceback game for Mathurin, scoring 23 points off the bench after totaling just nine against the Clippers. As has been the case throughout the year, Indiana’s comebacks have happened in part due to the scoring ability of Mathurin and that was no exception tonight. He had eight points and four rebounds in the fourth as he and Haliburton each shot 10-22 from the field.

He shot zero free throws for the second straight game, but the Pacers as a whole struggled getting to the line, taking just 16 shots compared to 31 for the Lakers. The 11-point difference in points scored appeared to be the deciding factor until Indiana’s heat check down the stretch, finishing a +6 in three pointers made. Jalen Smith had six of those free throws in the first quarter, scoring nine.

Nembhard led the way with four makes in seven attempts, finishing with 12. While there wasn’t much extracurricular stats going on, Nembhard did take on the task of guarding James for stretches in the game. James did appear bothered by his ankle injury, scoring 21 points on 8-22 shooting.

It wasn’t a glowing showcase for Indiana’s vets from deep as Turner and Buddy Hield combined for 2-13 from three point range. Both did play well beyond that, however, combining for 30 points. Turner amassed a 15 point, 13 rebound double double, dishing a season high four assists and blocking three shots. Hield meanwhile was 4-7 inside the arc, pulling in four rebounds. Though Indiana did struggle at stretches tonight with rebounding, they came through at crucial points and managed to outscore the Lakers 22-14 in second chance points.

The win is Indiana’s first of the seven game road trip, moving back above .500 on the road and 12-8 overall. The rest of the trip will remain a challenge, however, as the rest of the teams they’ll face are all currently above .500. They’ll head north from here, facing the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, the first game back in Sacramento for Haliburton and Hield, and the first game for Domantas Sabonis against his old team in what’s sure to be a thrilling game.