Four observations: Andrew Nembhard hits game-winning 3 to beat Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- Andrew Nembhard's last second 3-pointer helped the Pacers finish off a 17-point comeback with a 116-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

The Pacers improved to 12-8. The Lakers fell to 7-12.

Here are four observations.

Andrew Nembhard is a hero in his return

Nembhard missed a week with a left knee bruise and was listed as questionable when the night began. He didn't return to the starting lineup, but when he took the floor, he was asked to defend one of the greatest players the NBA has ever known.

And he held his own. And then he knocked down a killer 3-pointer with time running out.

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LeBron James scored 21 points on Monday, but the first 10 came in the first quarter before Nembhard entered the game. James put some buckets on Nembhard, but James certainly didn't overwhelm him and James needed to work for his points. He finished 8-of-22 from the floor and 3-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc.

"I just wanted to be physical with him throughout the game," Nembhard said. "Just make his looks tough. I know he's a great player, great passer. We just wanted to make him take some fadeaways and try to make him play hard, really."

Nembhard didn't shoot much, but he hit the shots that he had to. He was 4-of-7 from 3-point range and then he stepped into a 3 after several Pacers misses with time running out that stunned the Crypto.com Arena crowd.

"You stay calm when you work in the gym for those kinds of moments," Nembhard said. "I think you just have to bring your confidence and when it comes to you, you just have to step up for the team."

Pacers find a way to rally again

The Pacers trailed by as many as 17 points. They were down by 11 with 7:38 to go and by nine with just over 3 minutes left, but they found a way, yet again, to come back from down more by more than double digits.

The Lakers' lead hit 17 points with just under 10 minutes to go in the game, but the Pacers kept whittling away. They were the aggressor down the stretch, chasing down loose balls, winning rebounds and also hitting more shots. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle noted one of those loose balls as particularly important.

"(T.J.) McConnell's loose-ball play changed the game," Carlisle said. "It completely changed the tenor of the game. That resulted in a basket. It started us on a run that allowed us to have a chance to win."

The Pacers made six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter on a night when they struggled from outside and they won the rebounding battle 14-10 in the quarter on a night when they lost it 57-49. In the game's last three minutes, they outscored the Lakers 15-5 and outscored them 32-22 in the quarter.

"Just keep playing, man," point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. "The game's never over with us. Like I've said all year, 15, 17 points is nothing in the NBA, no matter how much time is left. We knew when we got down 17 points, the push has to be now. If it's not now, it's never. Time is running out. That group that was in there, Ben(nedict Mathurin), Aaron (Nesmith), T.J. (McConnell), those guys stepped up.

Of the Pacers' 12 wins this season, eight have come in games when they've trailed by double figures.

"I'm really just so happy for the guys," Carlisle said. "This was a game where they just hung in, kept believing in each other and kept giving of themselves. It amounted to really as good of a win as we've had all year, and we've had some good ones."

Tyrese Haliburton lets game come to him

Tyrese Haliburton went scoreless in the first quarter on 0-of-3 shooting as the Lakers threw length at him on defense, but he eventually found space to attack off the bounce and finished with 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting to go with 14 assists.

That included the pass that set up Nembhard for the 3.

"When I got it, I didn't know how much time was left," Haliburton said. "But I kind of glanced up. At first I was just going to rise up and shoot it. But I took one more dribble, because four seconds is a lot of time. I took two more dribbles. Buddy (Hield) was in the corner. (Bennedict Mathurin) was on the block. (Anthony Davis) was kind of splitting the two. I wanted to throw it to Buddy, but I knew if I threw it to Buddy it was going to be a hard contest from AD and a tough shot. So I reverse pivoted with my left foot and when I went to kick it, I saw LeBron in the paint, and it was kind of a read. If LeBron took two steps I'm throwing it over the top to Ben, but he was late, so I fired it to Drew for the game."

It was Haliburton's sixth straight game with double-figure assists and his third straight game without a turnover. The NBA's assist leader has 40 assists in the past three games with zero turnovers.

"I'm just playing basketball," Haliburton said. "The assists, it's not possible without guys making shots. I pride myself on making the right decision. Coaches put me in great position and guys are making shots and making me look really good."

Bennedict Mathurin doesn't match up with LeBron James

Bennedict Mathurin set up Monday as a day when his supreme confidence would be tested when. He had told a Washington Post reporter in June that he considered LeBron James the greatest player of all-time, but that he wouldn't acknowledge James as better than him until he proved it to him up close. He clarified the comment by saying he has the highest respect and admiration for James, but his confidence operates in such a way that he considers himself the best player on the floor at all times.

On Monday night, Mathurin finally got to see James up close, but he was almost never dealing with him one on one. He didn't guard James, at least not in a halfcourt setting when he matched up with James and stayed on him. And James didn't guard him.

That being said, Mathurin didn't shrink from the moment. He finished with 23 points on 10-of-22 shooting after scoring just nine points against the Clippers on Sunday. He knocked down three 3-pointers and also grabbed eight rebounds.

"It was great, man," Mathurin said. "Playing against great players, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook. But to me, it's a regular game in the season. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the season against great players."

Pacers 116, Lakers 115

INDIANA (116): Hield 5-13 4-5 15, Smith 1-4 6-6 9, Turner 7-17 0-0 15, Haliburton 10-22 1-3 24, Nesmith 5-10 2-2 16, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Bitadze 0-0 0-0 0, Mathurin 10-22 0-0 23, Nembhard 4-8 0-0 12, Brissett 0-2 0-0 0, McConnell 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 43-105 13-16 116.

L.A. LAKERS (115): Brown Jr. 1-5 0-0 3, James 8-22 2-3 21, Davis 9-15 7-10 25, Schroder 2-6 3-4 8, Walker IV 4-9 0-0 9, Gabriel 2-7 1-2 5, Bryant 1-2 0-0 2, Nunn 1-5 2-2 5, Reaves 2-4 7-7 13, Westbrook 10-18 2-3 24. Totals 40-93 24-31 115.

IND 29 27 28 32 — 116

LAL 32 30 31 22 — 115

3-Point Goals—Indiana 17-49 (Nembhard 4-7, Nesmith 4-7, Haliburton 3-7, Mathurin 3-8, Smith 1-3, Hield 1-6, Turner 1-7, Brissett 0-1, Johnson 0-1, McConnell 0-2), L.A. Lakers 11-31 (James 3-10, Reaves 2-3, Westbrook 2-4, Brown Jr. 1-2, Nunn 1-2, Schroder 1-4, Walker IV 1-5, Gabriel 0-1). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Indiana 49 (Turner 13), L.A. Lakers 57 (Davis 13). Assists_Indiana 29 (Haliburton 14), L.A. Lakers 23 (Davis, Westbrook 6). Total Fouls_Indiana 24, L.A. Lakers 16. A_16,034 (18,997)