Back on December 5, 2022, Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers went to San Francisco to challenge the then-defending champion Golden State Warriors. It was only the 19th game of Nembhard's career, but he proceeded to put up the best game of his career to that point, dropping a 31-point masterclass on 13-21 shooting from the field to give Indiana a 112-104 win — a huge victory on the road with Tyrese Haliburton out due to injury.
Alas, all that Andrew Nembhard performance did was poke the bear, as revealed by Draymond Green on the most recent episode of his eponymous podcast.
“When we played the Pacers in the Bay, [Andrew] Nembhard gave us hell. Complete hell. And he was talking so crazy & Steph [Curry] was guarding him. Steph would just turn look like, ‘Yo what?'” Green said. “What you did then, every time that guy see you now, he had you now. … Blame Nembhard. Y'all gonna have a hard time with us. Every time he sees Nembhard, it’s over. It’s a wrap.”
Andrew Nembhard causes Stephen Curry, Warriors to encircle the Pacers in their calendar
Andrew Nembhard has cemented himself as one of the biggest steals of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Pacers saw Nembhard fall all the way to the second round and promptly scooped him up with the 31st overall pick. Now, Nembhard is one of their most important players, with the Pacers rewarding him with a three-year, $59 million contract extension after he played well in the 2024 NBA playoffs. But the Warriors were one of the Pacers' first opponents to see just how much potential Nembhard possessed.
Stephen Curry definitely had the Pacers encircled in his calendar after Nembhard popped off against the Warriors in their first-ever matchup. Curry scored 38 points on 11-19 shooting from the floor on December 14, 2022, outplaying Nembhard in a big way after the then-rookie scored just eight points. The Pacers, however, had the last laugh, taking a 125-119 win over the Dubs.
And then on February 8, 2024, Curry continued to torch the Pacers. He went berserk in the first quarter, scoring 18 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from beyond the arc, leading the Warriors to an easy 131-109 win over Indiana.
But in the Warriors and Pacers' most recent matchup, Stephen Curry did not have his best outing. He struggled from the field, making just nine of his 24 field-goal attempts, as the Dubs suffered a 123-111 loss that had major repercussions in their playoff push.
With Draymond Green's reveal, however, it will be more interesting to see just how motivated Curry would be and whether he'll try to one-up Andrew Nembhard yet again.
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