The Five-Minute Collapse: From G5 Villain to G6 Redeemer—Can Nembhard Bounce Back?

As Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals looms, all eyes are on the Indiana Pacers and their do-or-die response after a gut-wrenching Game 5 loss in Oklahoma City. Among the cast of players preparing for the biggest game of their lives, one name stands out—not for heroics, but for heartbreak: Andrew Nembhard.

Game 5, the so-called Tianwangshan or pivotal battleground, exposed both the brilliance and fragility of playoff basketball. The Pacers lost 104–120 in a game they had clawed back into after trailing by 14 at halftime. And while Tyrese Haliburton’s injury-affected performance earned headlines, the real turning point came in what’s now known in Indiana circles as the "Black Five Minutes"—a stretch where Nembhard’s sequence of mistakes shattered the Pacers’ comeback hopes.

This wasn’t just a rough patch. It was an implosion.

The Black Five Minutes: A Sequence That Changed Everything

Let’s rewind to the fourth quarter of Game 5. After an inspired third-quarter surge led by T.J. McConnell’s 13 points and a scorching start from Pascal Siakam—who scored 14 of Indiana’s first 15 points in the fourth—the Pacers trimmed the deficit to just two points.

Momentum? All Indiana.

Then came the unraveling.

• 8:00 left, Thunder up 100–95: Jalen Williams hits a deep three to push the lead to five. The crowd erupts, but Indiana still has life.

• Next possession: Nembhard attempts a high-risk pass from the top of the arc. Wallace jumps the lane, steals it clean, and slams home a dunk. Lead swells to seven. Nembhard is pulled.

• 7:20 left: He returns to the floor.

• First defensive possession back: SGA blows by Nembhard on a switch. The Pacers collapse, leaving Luguentz Dort wide open in the corner. Three-pointer. Thunder by eight.

• 6:18 left: Nembhard drives into traffic and tries to thread a pass through a double-team. Intercepted by SGA, who goes coast-to-coast and scores and draws a foul. The and-one brings the lead to 10—OKC's first double-digit cushion since early third quarter.

• 5:50 left: Williams isolates Nembhard, hits him with a pump fake, and glides in for a layup. Now a 13-point game.

• 5:42 left: Nembhard tries a cross-court entry pass to Siakam. Caruso reads it like a book and picks it off. Williams draws a foul, hits one free throw. The lead climbs to 14.

• 5:05 left: SGA goes right at Nembhard again, spins, draws contact, hits two free throws. Thunder lead by 16.

• 3:35 left: Nembhard pushes in transition, only to get obliterated at the rim by SGA with a thunderous block. Moments later, he’s subbed out for McConnell. The damage is done.

In those agonizing five minutes, Nembhard had:

• 3 turnovers (all turned directly into Thunder points)

• 1 block against

• Was scored on or exposed defensively in three other possessions

That sequence effectively ended Game 5. And for many fans, it nearly ended their trust in the Canadian guard.

The Numbers: G5 Wasn’t an Outlier

Nembhard’s final stat line from Game 5 reads like a cautionary tale:

• 36 MIN

• 3-of-8 FG, 0-of-2 3PT

• 7 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST

• 4 TO, 2 blocks against

• -12 plus-minus (second-worst on team)

Zooming out across the Finals before Game 6, his averages through five games were modest at best:

• 10.0 PPG

• 3.4 RPG

• 3.2 APG

• 2.8 TO

• Shooting splits: 43.9% FG / 33.3% 3PT / 66.7% FT

• 54.0% true shooting

His offensive rhythm vanished. And while that alone could be forgiven in a high-pressure Finals environment, what made the downturn glaring was the contrast to his pre-Finals performance:

• Through 16 playoff games before the Finals:

  • 12.8 PPG

  • 3.3 RPG

  • 5.1 APG

  • Just 1.6 TO

  • Shooting splits: 47.3% FG / 48.8% 3PT / 83.3% FT

  • 58.4% true shooting

So, what changed?

Sapped by Defensive Assignments? Or Crushed by Thunder Pressure?

It’s not entirely fair to pile everything on Nembhard. His defensive assignments this postseason have been nothing short of punishing. In Round 1, he guarded Damian Lillard. In the semis, Donovan Mitchell. In the East Finals, Jalen Brunson. Now in the Finals? His task: slow down the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

And for the most part, he’s done it.

Through five Finals games, Nembhard guarded SGA for 43 minutes across 224 possessions. During those matchups, SGA:

• Shot 17-of-41 (41.5%)

• Scored 49 points

• Had 11 assists but also 7 turnovers

SGA struggled mightily in Game 1, largely due to Nembhard’s physical and intelligent defense. At times, the Thunder star looked uncomfortable and impatient, calling for screens to shake free of Nembhard’s shadow. That speaks volumes.

The problem is, elite defense takes a toll. Constantly chasing SGA around screens, fighting through contact, and staying mentally locked in eats at a player’s offensive game. It’s no surprise that Nembhard’s decision-making and scoring touch began to deteriorate.

But that doesn’t excuse it.

The Pacers don’t need him to be a 20-point scorer. But they do need him to protect the ball, make the right reads, and hit open shots. In Game 5, he did none of those things during crunch time.

G6: Redemption or Repeat?

Game 6 isn’t just a must-win for Indiana—it’s a legacy game for Nembhard. If he bounces back, his Game 5 meltdown becomes a footnote. If he falters again? That five-minute stretch could become the defining sequence of his young career.

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Indiana’s blueprint is simple: continue team-based, low-turnover basketball. Nembhard is vital to that formula. If he plays under control and knocks down timely shots, it frees up Haliburton and Siakam to operate more comfortably. If he becomes turnover-prone again? The Pacers may not survive the hostile OKC environment of a potential Game 7.

The Pacers don’t need perfection. They just need composure.

A Young Star’s Trial by Fire

Nembhard is just 25, in his third NBA season. This is his first Finals. And he’s being asked to guard the league MVP and be a secondary playmaker on the sport’s biggest stage. That’s a lot for anyone.

But legends are forged in the fire of the Finals.

Game 6 is more than a basketball game for Andrew Nembhard. It’s a referendum. Can he learn from the most painful five minutes of his career? Can he redeem himself and become the unsung hero Indiana needs?

The script is unwritten. But one thing’s certain—after the storm of Game 5, the basketball world is watching to see if Nembhard has the stormbreaker.