Celtics comeback win vs. Pacers: Jayson Tatum's big night, Jrue Holiday's clutch stop push Boston to 3-0 lead

Kyle Irving

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Celtics comeback win vs. Pacers: Jayson Tatum's big night, Jrue Holiday's clutch stop push Boston to 3-0 lead image

It took a double-digit comeback, but the Celtics are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals.

The Pacers were shorthanded going into Game 3 against the Celtics, missing All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton due to a hamstring injury. Indiana rallied without its offensive engine, building an 18-point lead behind Andrew Nembhard's career-best 32 points, T.J. McConnell's 23 points off the bench and impactful performances from Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner.

For the second time in three Eastern Conference Finals games, the Pacers were in the driver's seat to come away with a win. For the second time in three Eastern Conference Finals games, the Pacers couldn't close it out.

Indiana led by eight points with just under three minutes to go in Saturday's Game 3. But the Celtics kept swinging.

A Jaylen Brown poster dunk on Turner energized Boston, then Tatum built on his best game of the postseason with two clutch offensive possessions. With the game on the line, who other than Jrue Holiday would step up to get the final stop needed to secure the win?

The Sporting News breaks down the key moments from the Celtics' comeback.

Key moments from Celtics' comeback win over Pacers in Game 3

Jayson Tatum's statement game

The steadying hand who kept the Celtics in the game the entire night, Tatum delivered his best performance of the playoffs.

The Celtics trailed by six points with a minute and a half remaining when Tatum calmly drilled a clutch triple to make it a one-possession game.

Nembhard hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to five, then Tatum responded by creating an open look for his teammate. He got downhill off a pick-and-pop to force Indiana's defense to collapse and Tatum dished a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Al Horford for an open corner 3.

The highlight-reel find brought the Celtics within two, then Holiday finished an and-one (on a generous Tatum assist) to give Boston a lead it wouldn't surrender.

Tatum finished with 36 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks, one steal and zero turnovers — a masterpiece performance to give the Celtics a 3-0 series lead.

Jrue Holiday's clutch steal

Not only did Holiday finish the clutch go-ahead and-one, but he also put the clamps on Nembhard to seal the victory.

Nembhard corralled a defensive rebound with seven seconds remaining and the Pacers trailing by one. Holiday picked up Indiana's hottest scorer in transition and nearly slipped trying to keep up.

The six-time All-Defensive team member quickly collected himself and poked the ball loose, coming up with a steal — and clutch free throws — that would win the game.

That is now twice in three Eastern Conference Finals games that Holiday forced a clutch on-ball turnover with the game on the line.

Al Horford's hot shooting night

The Celtics wouldn't have hung around long enough to win the game if not for Horford's scorching hot shooting night.

The veteran forward buried seven (!) 3-pointers in 11 attempts, going for 23 points and three blocks to help power Boston's comeback win. At 37 years old, Horford is the oldest player in NBA history to make seven 3s in a playoff game.

"Whatever he does, whether it's his leadership, his presence, hitting shots, protecting the rim – he's a guy that keeps us all together," Tatum said of Horford during his postgame interview.

Jaylen Brown's poster dunk

Brown's Game 3 performance wasn't as loud as his 40-point outburst in Game 2 but he still charged his team's comeback late in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics needed a spark of life after the Pacers went back up by eight with two and a half minutes to go and Brown provided that with a poster dunk on Turner.

He finished with 24 points on 18 shots, making him Boston's second-leading scorer in the comeback win.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.