Coming off a blowout loss in Game 2, Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers look to bounce back and seize home-court advantage from the Oklahoma City Thunder when they square off in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Wednesday.
Nembhard fueled Indiana’s offense early, though the former Gonzaga standout still wound up on the wrong side of a 123-107 final from the Paycom Center anyway, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a MVP-caliber performance to even the championship series at 1-1. Nembhard’s former college teammate Chet Holmgren had himself a bounce-back night, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block following a quiet six-point outing in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss.
Nembhard had 11 points, four assists, four boards and three steals while shooting 4-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range. He addressed the media ahead of Wednesday’s pivotal Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (5:30 p.m. PST, ABC).
“I’m expecting a crazy crowd — you know, jumping out their seat, having fun, enjoying the moment. It’s like our sixth man — brings us energy, keeps us together. It’s going to be exciting.”
“I think they have individually really good defenders. They switch, their versatile and long, athletic. They do a good job of being physical. We gotta combat that with being more aggressive.”
“That comes from when I was a little kid. My parents pushed that through me when I was young, and having a little brother who I can compete with every day was something that probably drove that to a next level. It’s always been there for me.”
“I think that’s how you produce good teams. You got to be led a little bit [from] within, and guys got to be able to speak to each other and understand that it’s for the better of the team, and for the goal that we’re trying to accomplish. So nothing’s taken personal and everything’s for the one goal of winning.”
