With a 114-111 come from behind victory on Saturday night against their conference final foe Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics are now just one win away from their second NBA Finals’ trip in three years.
Saturday night in Indianapolis, the Celtics overcame 12-point halftime deficit, 69-57. Jayson Tatum led the way with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists on 12-for-23 shooting. He played a game-high 44 minutes.
For the Pacers, Andrew Nembhard played an outstanding game, scoring 32 points and adding 9 assists and 4 rebounds on 12-for-21 from the field. TJ McConnell provided major impact off the bench, with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The Celtics managed just four bench points, but got double-figure scoring efforts from all five starters including Tatum’s 36 - 24 from Jaylen Brown, 23 from Al Horford, 14 from Jrue Holiday and 13 from Derrick White. Though the Pacers shot better from the field (51 percent) to the Celtics’ 47 percent, the road team was 16-for-46 from three-point range, while the Pacers managed just five makes from downtown in 22 attempts. Pascal Siakam (22 points) and Myles Turner (22 points, 10 rebounds) aided Nembhard.
The Pacers put forth a valiant effort without star Tyrese Haliburton, as Nembhard and McConnell picked up the guard slack. Still, though, it was not enough to defeat an experienced Celtic team.
Game 4 is Monday at 8 p.m. from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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