JRUE Holiday delivered timely plays in the endgame as Boston Celtics clawed back from 18 points down to beat Indiana Pacers, 114-111, in Game 3 of NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Down by as much as 18 points in the second half, the Celtics slowly carved their way back in the game before taking a 112-111 lead on a three-point play by Holiday with under a minute left.
Holiday then forced the Pacers to a turnover before he converted two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining to increase the Celtics’ lead to 114-111.
Holiday, who was supposed to sit out the game due to illness, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block as the Celtics took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, Jaylen Brown added 24 markers, while Al Horford and Derrick White contributed 23 and 13 points, respectively, for the Celtics.
Andrew Nembhard top-scored with 32 points, TJ McConnell added 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam had 22 each for the Pacers, which were without star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic capped Dallas Mavericksā endgame run with a go-ahead three-pointer as they scored a 109-108 victory over Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of NBA Western Conference Finals at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Down 103-108 with over a minute left, Doncic found Kyrie Irving for a three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 106-108 before forcing the Timberwolves to consecutive turnovers.
Doncic then swung the lead to the Mavericks after hitting a three-pointer against the defense of Minnesotaās Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves still had a chance to snatch the win, but Naz Reid misfired his triple try.
Doncic delivered a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to lead the way for the Mavericks, which completed a two-game sweep in Timberwolves homecourt for a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series./PN
BOX SCORE:
BOSTON 114 — Tatum 36, Brown 24, Horford 23, Holiday 14, White 13, Pritchard 2, Tillman 2, Hauser 0, Brissett 0.
INDIANA 111 — Nembhard 32, McConnell 23, Turner 22, Siakam 22, Toppin 4, Nesmith 4, Jackson 2, McDermott 2, Sheppard 0.
Quarterscores: 32-31, 57-69, 81-90, 114-111.
