Derrick White came in clutch with the game-winning three-pointer for the Boston Celtics who swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 with a 105-102 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 points and Jayson Tatum dropped 26 to help Boston advance to the NBA Finals. White added 16 points, including the deciding three, while Jrue Holiday posted 17.
Andrew Nembhard tried to keep Indiana in the playoffs with 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 19 in the loss. University of Arizona product T.J. McConnell racked up 15 points.
Down 0-3, Indiana Didn’t Go Down Without a Fight
Taking the energy immediately out of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Holiday formed a 9-2 run with a pair of threes for the Celtics, silencing the Pacers crowd. Knowing how dire it was to get a win for Indiana, McConnell sank eight first-quarter points for the Pacers to finish the first quarter down by just two, 29-27.
Both teams would trade buckets back and forth, with neither team being able to pull away from the other after quick responses.
Filling in for the injured Tyrese Haliburton, Nembhard had a first half to remember. Despite missing a wide-open layup in the second quarter, he put the Pacers on his back by totaling 16 points in the first half from 7-of-11 (63.4%) shooting.
Things would get heated between one another as Myles Turner pushed White twice and shoved Brown. Both Turner and Brown received double technical fouls.
Myles Turner and Jaylen Brown both received technical fouls for this play. pic.twitter.com/Dw2Xv8dTdL
— ESPN (@espn) May 28, 2024
Boos started to rain from the Pacers faithful as the third quarter was engulfed with the officials’ whistles. Players all over the court were left shaking their heads after some of the foul calls.
Aaron Nesmith would put six points on the board in the third quarter as Indiana stayed in the game and eventually took the lead, 83-80. Brown didn’t back down even as the score flipped out of the Celtics’ favor, netting 19 points through three quarters.
Making much-needed shots, Indiana started to create some wiggle room before turnovers haunted them. The Pacers gave the ball up 14 times and the Celtics did the same 13, showing that ball possession came at a premium.
Celtics Get Last Laugh in Back and Forth, Gritty Win
Scraping themselves back to a tie, Boston’s defense came in clutch with crucial steals and blocks transitioning to Tatum hammering a thunderous slam and Brown driving into the paint for a layup for a 102-102 game.
Open in the right corner, White flushed the three-point dagger with 43.9 left in the fourth quarter, completing the late comeback for a series sweep.
The stats between the two teams were as even in almost every category as the game itself. Indiana outrebounded Boston 47-44 while the Celtics led in steals 10-5 and points in the paint, 48-46.
Guiding his team throughout the series, Brown was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. He had a 40-point performance in Game 2 and averaged 29.8 in the series.
Your ECF MVP is… JAYLEN BROWN ???? @FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/P43CGrf0n4
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 28, 2024
Winning the series 4-0, the Celtics now await the winner of the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks are up 3-0 and on the verge of another sweep.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics and Phoenix Mercury news for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
