Aurora's Andrew Nembhard and his Indiana Pacers are one win away from a trip to the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals. 

The 25-year-old Nembhard logged the most minutes of Indy's starters—30—and turned in a 7-point, 3-rebound, 7-assist, and 3-steal performance in the Pacers' emphatic 129-109 home court victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

The 20-point win over the #1-seeded Cavs gave the Pacers a commanding 3-1 lead in the seven-game Eastern semi-final.

The prospective upset of the Cavaliers makes the young, upstart Pacers even more endearing for Canadian basketball fans looking to embrace an NBA team for this year's playoffs.

Not only does Indiana have two Canadians on their roster—Nembhard and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin—but it also features former Raptor and fan favorite Pascal Siakam as one of their top performers. 

Nembhard—in his second year with the Pacers—averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists over 65 regular season games in 2024-25.  The 6'4” combo guard—who starred with the NCAA Gonzaga Bulldogs—graduated from St. Jerome's Elementary School in northeast Aurora before playing his high school basketball at prep schools in the USA.

By Jim Stewart