Jrue Vacation’s late heroics steer Celtics to thrilling 114-111 Sport 3 overcome Pacers

For many of the night time, Jrue Vacation was comparatively quiet.

Vacation, who was questionable with an sickness earlier within the day, determined to powerful it out however was clearly not his regular spry self.

Then within the closing minute, Vacation dug deep and shifted the trajectory of not solely the sport, but additionally the collection. Vacation delivered a large go-ahead and-one with 38.2 seconds left, secured an enormous steal with 3.1 seconds remaining and hit two clutch free throws with 1.1 left.

“I’m glad we bought him,” Jayson Tatum to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters. “Jrue’s a hell of a competitor.”

The Celtics outlasted the Pacers, 114-111, in a back-and-forth Sport 3 that featured loads of drama and intrigue. Indiana gave Boston the whole lot it might deal with Saturday night time, however the Celtics earned their greatest win of the season in spectacular trend.

Tatum fueled the Celtics with 36 factors, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers. Jaylen Brown added 24, and Al Horford contributed 23 on seven 3-pointers.

Andrew Nembhard poured in 32 for the Pacers in Tyrese Haliburton’s absence, T.J. McConnell scored 23 off the bench and Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner chipped in 22 apiece, however it wasn’t fairly sufficient.

Boston handed Indiana its first residence lack of the playoffs and moved to 5-0 on the highway.

The Celtics jumped out to a 16-9 lead three minutes in, fueled by sizzling capturing from Tatum and Horford. Boston began 6 for six earlier than a miss, and Derrick White set the tone defensively by acrobatically swatting a Turner shot.

Indiana methodically chipped away, making a aware effort to push the ball and assault the basket. Siakam spearheaded a 16-8 surge to finish the quarter, because the Pacers sliced the Celtics’ result in 32-31 via 1.

Tatum completed the quarter with 15, Siakam had 11 and Indiana racked up a whopping 26 factors within the paint. It was no coincidence, both, as Indiana systematically attacked a smaller Celtics group with conviction and goal.

At first, it appeared as if the Celtics had the system for withstanding the Pacers’ inevitable spike in vitality. Then within the second quarter, the whole lot went awry for Boston, as Indiana dropped 38 factors to construct a 69-57 halftime benefit that felt like extra.

Nembhard and McConnell have been the first catalysts. Each did the overwhelming majority of their harm inside and within the midrange, breaking down a few of the Celtics’ greatest defenders off the dribble with relative ease.

The Celtics might win a championship, however they performed removed from championship-caliber protection within the second quarter.

The Pacers relied on their frenetic type and dictated the tempo the majority of the quarter. They completed the half capturing 63.6 p.c from the sector and 10 of 10 from the road, totaling 20 assists whereas hitting simply three 3-pointers.

Boston shot 55.6 p.c from 3 and turned it over solely thrice, however it didn’t matter a lot, as Indiana bought basically no matter it wished. The Celtics did, nonetheless, use an 8-0 flurry late within the half to remain inside putting distance regardless of a Nembhard 3 within the closing seconds.

After a comparatively even begin to the second half, the Celtics ratcheted up the defensive depth and made the Pacers work for the whole lot — a degree of firepower that was sorely lacking within the second quarter returned at a crucial time.

Xavier Tillman – the one Celtic with a optimistic plus-minus via three quarters – supplied a carry defensively, and Horford and Jrue Vacation additionally chipped in on that finish. The Pacers couldn’t purchase a 3, however Nembhard continued to sizzle to protect the lead.

A Doug McDermott tip-in prolonged Indiana’s result in 90-81 via three.

Momentum shifted Boston’s solely Boston’s means early within the fourth, as Vacation and White attacked the offensive glass and Tatum maneuvered his means into the lane. Horford’s sixth 3-pointer trimmed the margin to 93-90 with 8:29 remaining.

“You’ve bought to imagine,” Tatum mentioned. “We at all times imagine we’ve bought an opportunity to win the sport.”

After a vicious throwdown from Brown and a well timed 3 from Tatum, the Celtics trailed simply 109-106 with 1:41 remaining. Tatum then hit Horford on a slick behind-the-back cross and Horford buried his seventh 3-pointer to chop it to 2.

Vacation muscled his technique to the rim and completed, plus the foul, to place Boston forward, 112-111, with 38.9 remaining.

Nembhard bought a good look on the following possession – a midrange shot he had buried all night time – however he hit the again rim and Horford secured a rebound.

“He was huge time for us,” Tatum mentioned of Horford.

Then Vacation, who was additionally good in Sport 1, picked Nembhard’s pocket and supplied the ending touches.