The task was much tougher than expected, but the Boston Celtics walked out of Game 4 with a 3-0 lead over the shorthanded Indiana Pacers.
Led by Jayson Tatum with 36 points, the East’s top seed erased an 18-point deficit to break the Pacers’ hearts with a 114-111 win in the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
No team has come back from down 3-0 in a series in NBA history.
The Pacers entered the game without Tyrese Haliburton, who exited Game 3 with a hamstring injury and was ruled out hours before Game 4. He was capably replaced by Andrew Nembhard, who posted a Haliburton-esque night with a career-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting and nine assists.
That, combined with 20+ points from Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and bench hero T.J. McConnell, looked like it would be enough.
Instead, the Celtics steadily chipped away throughout the second half. Tatum took over, scoring those 36 points on 12-of-23 shooting along with 10 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and zero turnovers. They had the lead down to five points early in the fourth quarter, down to three not long after that and down to two with 1:12 left.
Jrue Holiday finally put them over the top with an and-1 in the final minute, finishing through contact by Siakam.
Holiday, who was questionable for the game due to an illness, haunted the Pacers again on what could have been a game-winning possession, stripping Nembhard for a steal with four seconds left.
The Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which had been exuberant for much of the game, was silent as officials reviewed whether a clear path foul was committed against Holiday. The review went the Pacers’ way, but Holiday still got two free throws, which he made to go up three points with 1.7 seconds left.
That still gave Indiana got one last chance to tie a game where they led by double digits for much of two quarters. It opted to run what looked like a football play, which succeeded in getting a running Nembhard the ball at the perimeter, but his buzzer-beating attempt clanked away to end the game.
Carlisle was irate as the Celtics celebrated due to some contact on Nembhard, but no whistle came.
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Al Horford makes personal and NBA playoff history
As much as the Pacers can lament the loss of Haliburton, the Celtics have been playing the entire series without starting center Kristaps Porzingis. The reason they aren’t complaining is the play of Al Horford.
The 37-year-old veteran was again a difference maker in the starting lineup, scoring 23 points with 7-of-12 3-point shooting. That number is both a career-high for Horford in his 17th NBA season and enough to make him the oldest player in NBA history to make seven 3-pointers in a playoff game.
Al Horford tonight:
▫️23 Points
▫️5 Rebounds
▫️1 Steal | 3 Blocks
▫️8/14 FG (7/12 3FG)— Career HighTHE OG.pic.twitter.com/VV152MqZQM
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) May 26, 2024
Porzingis is reportedly trending toward a return as soon as Game 4, but Horford has given the Celtics the luxury of not needing him and potentially giving the Latvian plenty of rest before the NBA Finals.
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