Pacers' Andrew Nembhard Quietly Dominated Donovan Mitchell in Game 1

The Indiana Pacers won a crucial Game 1 to take a home-court advantage over their division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a complete game for the Pacers, as all five of their starters scored in double figures.

The Pacers not only handled their own on the offensive end against one of the best defenses in the league, but they also won the game on the defensive end. Indiana held the Cavaliers to under 46 percent shooting from the field and only 23.7 percent from beyond the arc. 

It was a complete effort, but Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard stood out on the defensive side of the ball. 

Nembhard made it tough and nearly impossible on Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. When Nembhard took on the assignment of guarding Mitchell, he made life difficult for the All-Star guard—and the stats back it up completely.

"According to NBA.com matchup data, Nembhard held Mitchell to two points on 1-of-10 shooting.' 

Although Mitchell led the game in points with 33, he did no damage against Nembhard. 

His teammates were impressed by Nembhard's performance but not surprised one bit, including Tyrese Haliburton.

"Drew is just doing what Drew does," Haliburton said. "Come playoff time, he's unbelievable. He's unbelievable all the time, especially defensively, but his lock-in level is just unbelievable right now. He's just doing a great job of letting the game come to him and stepping into shots with confidence."

Nembhard has done it on both sides of the floor for the Pacers during this playoff run. He is averaging 16.3 points per game through six games, 5.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three in 33.0 minutes of action. 

His numbers across the board are all higher than the regular season. 

After the game, he spoke on what's been working for the team and their toughness and resilience in Sunday's match. 

"I think the ball movement was good and they were in the rhythm," Nembhard said. "A lot of times, when a lot of guys are touching it, the ball has a better energy to it."

The Pacers will look to take a 2-0 lead before they head back for Games 3 and 4 in front of their home crowd. 

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