Celtics come back in 4th quarter to beat Pacers, take 3-0 series lead
The Boston Celtics are one win away from the NBA Finals.
They got quite a punch from the Indiana Pacers during Saturday night’s Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but ultimately found a way to come back and snatch a 114-111 win to take a 3-0 lead in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, and led by five points with just 1:26 left in regulation before the C’s came back.
The Celtics closed the game on an 8-0 run, sparked by a clutch three-pointer by Al Horford off a dazzling assist by Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown then snagged the rebound off a missed layup by Pascal Siakam and fed it to Jrue Holiday, who tied the game with a layup with just 38 seconds left. Holiday also drew a foul on the drive, and made the ensuing free throw to give the Celtics their first lead since the start of the second quarter.
With a chance to re-take the lead in the final minute, the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard instead lost the ball on a steal by Holiday, who again drove to the hoop and drew a common foul to make two more free throws. Aaron Nesmith’s last-second three-point attempt missed, and the C’s completed their comeback win.
Tatum finished with 36 points while shooting 12-of-23 from the field (52.2 percent), to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists, while playing a team-high 44 minutes. His sometimes-spotty shooting finally stabilized, but his passing was a standout quality of his performance in this game.
The Celtics now have a chance to complete a sweep of the Pacers when they take the court for Game 4 Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
