If the Boston Celtics weren't already in the driver's seat, they certainly are now after a 114-111 comeback win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night. The Celtics, who erased an 18-point Indiana lead in the win, are now up 3-0 in the series with a chance to earn their second NBA Finals trip in three years in Monday night's Game 4.
Boston's all-around effort was punctuated by Jrue Holiday's go-ahead and-one layup with just under 40 seconds left. Holiday, who was listed as questionable ahead of Game 3, then picked up a massive steal on Andrew Nembhard and sank two free throws to give the Celtics a three-point lead that the Pacers couldn't match on the final play.
All five of Boston's starters scored in double figures, led by Jayson Tatum's 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. One of those assists was to Holiday on the go-ahead basket. Al Horford contributed 23 points, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range, along with five rebounds. Jaylen Brown added another 24 points.
The Pacers, who played without All-Star Tyrese Halliburton, put up a valiant fight. For most of the game, it looked like Indiana would be able to protect home court without its All-NBA point guard, however, Boston was just too much down the stretch.
Nembhard had the game of his career with a 32-point, nine-assist performance, making several clutch plays along the way. Pascal Siakam added 22 points and T.J. McConnell put up 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench. Haliburton's status remains in question heading into Monday.
Here are a few takeaways from Saturday night's nail-biter.
Two-way Jrue
After feeling ill for most of the day, Holiday elected to suit up and made the two biggest plays of the night for Boston. Never one to look for his own shot first, Holiday put his head down and got to the basket with 39 seconds left, then converted a tough, left-handed layup over the bigger Siakam to tie the game. He also made the ensuing free throw to give the Celtics their first lead since early in the second quarter.
Holiday wasn't done, as he then took the task of guarding Nembhard on the Pacers' next possession. Nembhard, who made difficult shots and plays all night long, attempted to drive to his right. Holiday beat him to his spot, bodied him up and stripped the ball away with his left hand for a game-altering steal.
Holiday then converted two huge free throws with less than two seconds remaining, giving his team a 3-point lead that Indiana couldn't equal on the final play.
This is exactly why the Celtics traded for Holiday, arguably the best perimeter defender in the league. Not only is he an unselfish, low-maintenance cog willing to do anything the team needs, but he's also made huge postseason plays throughout his career -- notably as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks during their championship run in 2021. In three games against the Pacers this series, he's averaged 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds on ridiculous 61/44/100 shooting splits.
Ageless Al
One of the tradeoffs from starting Al Horford for the injured Kristaps Porzingis was supposed to be that Horford's 3-point volume wouldn't be as high. Well, so much for that. The nearly 38-year-old center fired early and often, knocking down a career-high seven 3-pointers in 12 attempts. His biggest one came on an impressive behind-the-back pass from Tatum, which cut the deficit to two points with just over a minute left.
"That was an unbelievable play that he made, and at that point, it was just taking my time and knocking it down," Horford said of Tatum's pass after the win.
What a luxury it is to have Horford, a sage veteran still capable of playing huge playoff minutes, ready and willing to step into the starting lineup whenever his number is called. Porzingis is expected to return at some point during the conference finals (maybe not if the Celtics are able to complete the sweep), but Horford is showing his team that they'll be just fine with him on the floor.
Nembhard breaks out
We'd be remiss if we didn't spend some extra time talking about how great Nembhard was on Saturday. He was absolutely dominant getting to the rim and made four of the Pacers' five 3-pointers on the night, finishing 12-for-21 from the field overall. Nembhard was 7-for-9 at the rim, as he burned the Celtics' perimeter defenders time after time.
His 21 first-half points were already a playoff career high, and he finished with 32. Not only that, but he also dished out nine assists, leveraging the attention he commanded to get his teammates buckets.
The Pacers are going to be a formidable team in the Eastern Conference for many years to come, and the 24-year-old Nembhard has cemented himself as a huge part of their impressive attack.
