The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks were engaged in another dogfight in Game 3 of their second-round matchup in the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Pacers had to dig deep after entering the fourth quarter down by five, and in the dying seconds of the game, the score was tied at 106 after Jalen Brunson, a man of many heroics, made a stepback jumper on the previous possession. But Andrew Nembhard rose to the occasion when the Pacers needed him the most.

With 22 seconds left, Nembhard received the ball from behind the hash line after the Knicks decided to send a double team towards Tyrese Haliburton. Nembhard was isolated against Brunson on the left wing and had a chance to go to work, and go to work he did. Nembhard put on an array of moves before launching a stepback triple from 31-feet, which swished comfortably through the net to give the Pacers a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Prior to that shot, Andrew Nembhard was shooting just 1-7 from the field while missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. But it did not matter. The Pacers guard stressed the importance of having the memory of a goldfish especially in clutch moments.

“It's similar to what I said before about just not worrying about the past and focusing on being in the moment. My shot's felt really good this whole playoffs and I think I've been shooting it well. So [I have] full confidence in stepping into those shots. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't,” Nembhard said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA Twitter (X) account.

It would have been heartbreaking for the Pacers if they lost Game 3, as it basically would have meant that the series was beyond reach. But Andrew Nembhard has it in him to step up in the face of adversity, regardless of whether he's shooting 90 percent from the field or if his shooting stroke has deserted him.

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With Tyrese Haliburton on fire for most of the night, the Knicks decided to send a double team towards him with six seconds left on the shot clock. Haliburton had nowhere to go, forcing him to pass the rock to Nembhard, who had to retreat near the halfcourt line just so the Pacers star could get a clear look at a pass.

It was understandable for the Knicks to bring a double team, as Haliburton scored 35 points in Game 3 and he was aggressive in hunting for his own shot, taking 26 after being criticized for shooting just six times in Game 1. But it was always going to be difficult for the Pacers to score with the shot clock winding down. Thankfully for Haliburton and the Pacers, Andrew Nembhard is as fearless as it gets, extremely confident to take a shot from multiple feet beyond the arc, and in the dying seconds of a tie game no less.

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“I heard Thibs yelling to double and I probably held the ball too long. I should have been more aggressive to attack the blitz. But I put Drew [Andrew Nembhard] in kind of a bad situation and he just made an unbelievable shot. Big big shot,” Haliburton said, via ClutchPoints Twitter (X). “Just really stepped up to the moment when we needed it the most.”

The world may just be starting to know who Andrew Nembhard is. After all, not too many players in NBA history have the cojones to take the shot Nembhard did and have the ability to make it. But Pacers fans know that Nembhard has always had this in his locker.

Andrew Nembhard, born with a clutch gene

The Pacers drafted Andrew Nembhard with the 31st overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft; from the get-go, Nembhard was overlooked, as he doesn't have the most explosive athletic gifts. But Nembhard has always been a smart player, a willing passer, and an underrated shot-maker. Only a month into his rookie year, Nembhard was responsible for a highlight that would forever have him in YouTube game-winner compilations.

On November 28, 2022, the Pacers were down by two points to the Los Angeles Lakers in the closing seconds of the game. Tyrese Haliburton was the man who once again had the ball following a Myles Turner missed three that would have put them up by one. Haliburton, with less than two seconds on the clock, fired a bullet pass to a wide-open Nembhard, who then drilled a confident-looking triple over a late closeout from LeBron James.

Nembhard's best spot on the floor might be that left elbow/wing area; that's where he made the first game-winner of his career 18 months ago, and on Friday night, that was the angle from which he made the incredible triple that sunk the Knicks in Game 3.