2 Studs, 1 dud from Pacers win over Wizards on Opening Night
By Jack Simone
The Indiana Pacers opened up their season on Wednesday night with a massive win over the Washington Wizards, picking up a 143-120 victory in dominant fashion.
Indiana’s offense was out in full swing, as they absolutely picked apart a Wizards team that many expect to finish toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Everyone played their part, putting up solid numbers for a Pacers squad looking to make a playoff push. And if that’s the goal, then this was a great start.
Following a huge win in their season opener, with a giant scoreline to boot, let’s take a look at two studs and one dud from the Pacers’ win over the Wizards. Honorable mention goes to Tyrese Haliburton, who was super awesome, but he’s expected to be super awesome.
Stud – Andrew Nembhard
Andrew Nembhard missed the majority of the Pacers’ preseason slate after getting a kidney stone removed, but he came back in their preseason finale and played well.
Luckily for Indiana, his solid play carried over to the season opener, as the second-year guard was absolutely incredible in his stint off the bench against the Wizards.
Nembhard played 21:36 off the bench for the Pacers and put up 12 points, four rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. He absolutely picked apart the Wizards defense.
He and Haliburton combined to drop 21 assists on the night, contributing to a 38-assist performance for the Pacers. If this is what second-year Nembhard looks like, Pacers fans should be hyped.