{"id":36435,"date":"2025-06-20T12:30:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T16:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=36435"},"modified":"2025-06-26T18:01:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T22:01:46","slug":"over-150-fans-flock-to-pacers-thunder-watch-party-at-town-square-to-support-auroran-andrew-nembhard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/over-150-fans-flock-to-pacers-thunder-watch-party-at-town-square-to-support-auroran-andrew-nembhard\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 150 fans flock to Pacers-Thunder Watch Party at Town Square to support Auroran Andrew Nembhard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There were many compelling reasons to enjoy the Pacers-Thunder Watch Party at Town Square on Friday the 13<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Free popcorn served cheerfully and faithfully for four quarters and during half-time by Town of Aurora rep Kaitlyn Zaragoza Ceren;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A reasonably-priced, frosty Beswick Lagered Ale from Newmarket-based Market Brewery for a sawbuck: $9.04 for the libation and a 96-cent tip given to the pleasant bartenders at the Caf\u00e9;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ABC\u2019s broadcast beamed on to a vivid screen with sound so good one would think we were comfortably ensconced in Indy\u2019s Gainbridge Fieldhouse \u2013 listening to the squeaky sneakers and thunderous dunks;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A collective community experience for dozens of kids and their parents or siblings who enjoyed being in a big group and comported themselves so positively on a Friday night;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cheering vociferously for Aurora-born-and-raised Andrew Nembhard \u2013 the starting shooting guard and emergent star for the Indiana Pacers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The crowd of 150+ fans\u2014seated comfortably in either the floor chairs provided by Town staff, in their own deck chairs, or in the bleacher seats on the south side of the amphitheatre\u2014erupted when consecutive baskets by Pascal Siakim and Nembhard gave Indy an early 20-12 lead and compelled OKC to take a timeout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This eight-point margin was much to the delight of the high-basketball-IQ fans gathered at Town Square, as was Nembhard\u2019s dynamic three-pointer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pro-Indy crowd cheered scores of any kind by the yellow-clad Pacers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By contrast, response to the Thunder\u2019s baskets was comparatively muted \u2013 even though OKC\u2019s starting lineup featured 2025 MVP Shea Gilgeous-Alexander and fellow Team Canada competitor Lu Dort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The popcorn was tasty and the Market Brewery libation was refreshing under the strung lighting that conjured up memories of Kim Mitchell singing \u201cthose patio lanterns\u2014they were stars in the sky.\u201d&nbsp; The stars on the 15-foot wide TV screen kept us engaged, especially the images of Nembhard\u2019s tenacious, court-length defense versus the talented Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chants of \u201cDefence!\u201d by the entire crowd showed folks\u2019 connectivity to the big screen and Indy closed out the high-scoring first quarter with a 34-33 lead.&nbsp; The Caf\u00e9 did a booming business and folks plucked a bag of free, freshly-prepared popcorn from the display rack, courtesy of Kaitlyn and the Town of Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spontaneous chants of \u201cLet\u2019s Go, Pacers!\u201d filled the amphitheatre for much of the second quarter and ABC broadcaster Richard Jefferson complimented the defensive prowess of Aurora\u2019s favourite NBA Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith Nembhard, there is no intimidation for him in guarding the league MVP.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jefferson and veteran broadcaster Doris Burke praised the efforts of the upstart Pacers, but OKC started to pull away in the second quarter much to the chagrin of those assembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s pair of circus shots in the final minute of play supercharged the audience at Town Square and restored the Pacers\u2019 lead to 60-57 at half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Special Events Program Assistant Kaitlyn Zaragoza, who has worked for the Town for eight months, took a short break at half-time from her duties to discuss the recent use of the new amphitheatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really enjoy seeing the new space being used like this.&nbsp; It\u2019s very fulfilling and there\u2019s incredible energy here. Everyone is enjoying the free popcorn\u2014it\u2019s become a favorite task.&nbsp; It\u2019s cool to see so many enjoying the game tonight.&nbsp; It\u2019s also satisfying to see this gathering space filled with sports fans supporting Andrew Nembhard.&nbsp; It\u2019s meant for Aurorans to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Town of Aurora Sport and Community Development Representative Aiden Ament\u2014who helped organize the event\u2014has been on the job for seven months following the completion of his Sports Management degree.&nbsp; The recent graduate of Brock University described the best part of the Andrew Nembhard Watch Party:&nbsp; \u201cIt\u2019s the environment and atmosphere tonight.&nbsp; This is a tightly-knit basketball community. &nbsp;The kids are running around at half-time and the parents look relaxed.&nbsp; Everyone is out for a great time.&nbsp; Word of mouth\u2014through the kids\u2019 social media, especially\u2014has boosted attendance. The numbers have increased every game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris and Owen Roche\u2014who have been watching the Edmonton-Florida NHL Finals outdoors at Newmarket\u2019s Riverwalk Commons in support of Connor McDavid \u2013 travelled to Aurora to take in the NBA Watch Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>12-year-old Owen, who plays basketball in the U13 YNBA division, was impressed by the number of basketball fans in Town Square<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEverybody\u2019s here. It\u2019s cool to see everybody here.&nbsp; It\u2019s great to see all these people watching basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Owen\u2019s dad thought the best part of the evening revolved around the uniqueness of \u201cOutdoor basketball viewing\u2014it\u2019s a rarity and I\u2019ve been an NBA fan all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really good basketball to watch and there\u2019s the free popcorn, too.&nbsp; Seeing so many Canadian players star in the NBA is also great to see, plus Siakim\u2019s playing so well for the Pacers, so that makes it even more awesome.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final result at Town Square wasn\u2019t so awesome for fans of Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers.&nbsp; An historic performance by Alex Caruso\u201420 points and 5 steals off the bench\u2014helped OKC to a 111-104 come-from-behind victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 31-year-old Caruso was at his pesky best and SGA was majestic down the stretch as the Thunder overcame an 87-80 third-quarter deficit, outscored the Pacers 31-17 in the final twelve minutes, and evened the series at 2-2. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps Friday the 13<sup>th<\/sup> was a bit unlucky for Nembhard\u2019s Pacers who led OKC for most of Game 4.&nbsp; However, hope springs eternal for the ardent Town Square fans supporting the Indiana Pacers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By Jim Stewart<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n<a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F36435&#038;t=Over%20150%20fans%20flock%20to%20Pacers-Thunder%20Watch%20Party%20at%20Town%20Square%20to%20support%20Auroran%20Andrew%20Nembhard&#038;s=100&#038;p&#091;url&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F36435&#038;p&#091;images&#093;&#091;0&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2F2025-06-20-01.jpg&#038;p&#091;title&#093;=Over%20150%20fans%20flock%20to%20Pacers-Thunder%20Watch%20Party%20at%20Town%20Square%20to%20support%20Auroran%20Andrew%20Nembhard\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F36435&#038;text=Like%3F\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Over%20150%20fans%20flock%20to%20Pacers-Thunder%20Watch%20Party%20at%20Town%20Square%20to%20support%20Auroran%20Andrew%20Nembhard&#038;body=Like%3F:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspapers-online.com%2Fauroran%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F36435\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There were many compelling reasons to enjoy the Pacers-Thunder Watch Party at Town Square on Friday the 13th. The crowd of 150+ fans\u2014seated comfortably in either the floor chairs provided by Town staff, in their own deck chairs, or in the bleacher seats on the south side of the amphitheatre\u2014erupted when consecutive baskets by Pascal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":36436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-20-01.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9tF","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-11 14:10:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36437,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36435\/revisions\/36437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}