The Boston Celtics may have just ripped Indiana’s heart out.
Behind the clutch Jrue Holiday, the Celtics moved to one win away from a return to the NBA Finals after pulling off a dramatic 114-111 Game 3 win over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals at Indiana Sunday (PHL).
Boston erased an eight-point lead with 2:48 left to take a commanding 3-0 lead, as the NBA’s top team continue to run rampage in these Playoffs.
Holiday, who was questionable before the game with a non-COVID illness, came up with the biggest plays.
First a completed three-point play with 39 seconds remaining to put Boston up, 112-111. Then a strip of Andrew Nembhard with three seconds left to preserve the one-point lead.
#CelticsWin pic.twitter.com/Oy1iuxC6Uq
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 26, 2024
Jrue also sank the insurance free throws in the last 1.7 seconds to seal the final tally. He finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The rest of the Celtics starters were also in double figures, led by Jayson Tatum with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Al Horford added 23 points and three blocks, and the two hit separate big triples inside the last two minutes to help set up Holiday’s heroics.
Down 18 with 6 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter...
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2024
Watch the @celtics storm back to pull out the road win and go up 3-0 in the East Finals ?? pic.twitter.com/IfaDIXvsW7
Jaylen Brown also finished with 24 points for Boston, while Derrick White added 13.
The loss was a tough pill to swallow for the Pacers, who once again blew a winnable game.
Even without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who sat out due to a sore hamstring, Indiana took an 18-point lead and still led by nine entering the fourth.
Nembhard paced the Pacers with 32 points and nine assists. TJ McConnell was good for 23 off the bench, while Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner finished with 22 apiece in the loss.
