LAS VEGAS — Indiana Pacers second-year guard Andrew Nembhard will not play in the In-Season Tournament Finals after suffering an injury during the Pacers Semifinal win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the fourth quarter Thursday night, Nembhard raced ahead in transition and caught a pass from Tyrese Haliburton. He went up for a layup instantly, but his right leg bent awkwardly while running and jumping, and he missed the layup. Haliburton cleaned up the play and scored a putback, but Nembhard fell to the court in pain.
He was carried off the floor and back to the locker room by two Pacers staff members soon after. On Friday after Indiana practiced, head coach Rick Carlisle shared more on Nembhard's status.
"We don't know anything yet. We're waiting for results of some tests. He will not play tomorrow," Carlisle told gathered reporters. "But we're hopeful that he may have dodged a bullet and this may not be as long a term thing as it could have been. But we'll know more later this afternoon."
When the Pacers allowed media members in to watch the last 30 minutes of their practice, Nembhard was present and rebounding for his teammates. But he wasn't running and was clearly not in practice attire — he was wearing a gray hoodie. Notably, he had a sleeve on his right leg and knee.
"The hope is that's all it is is a mild hyperextension," Carlisle said before saying that he's hoping for the best.
Nembhard played a crucial role in his team's big win over Milwaukee. In the second half, he played excellent defense on Damian Lillard, and he finished the game with eight points and two assists. He shot 4/5 from the field — he did his part to help the Pacers have their moment.
He won't get the chance to repeat that performance on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament Finals. Fortunately for the Pacers, though, it seems like he avoided a long-term injury.
The Pacers official injury report for the game lists Nembhard as out with a right knee bone bruise. He joins Jalen Smith as rotation players who are injured for the blue and gold.
Without Nembhard, T.J. McConnell will assume backup point guard duties again. He too played a big role on Thursday and has been important all season. If Indiana decides to go 10 deep, Ben Sheppard could be in line for minutes at the guard spots.
The Pacers and Lakers play tomorrow at 8:30 pm Eastern Time.
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