The Boston Celtics came back from 18 points down to beat the Indiana Pacers 114-111 and take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The fourth game is in Indianapolis on Monday, and no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven play-off series.
Despite the absence of point guard Tyrese Haliburton due to a hamstring strain, the Pacers led 84-66 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
They also led 109-101 with two minutes and 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But Boston scored 13 of the game’s final 15 points to steal the victory.
A Jrue Holiday three-point play put the team up 112-111 with 38.9 seconds left — their first lead since the early moments of the second quarter.
He then robbed Andrew Nembhard and hit two free throws to extend the lead before a three-point attempt by Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Holiday, who played 15 years in the NBA, was only cleared to play 45 minutes before kickoff as he was battling a fever that left him in bed most of the day.
“I didn’t feel very good,” he said after finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
“I guess I thought if I had a good rest day or tried to sleep during the day, that would help me.
“It’s game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, so I wasn’t going to miss this game.”
Jayson Tatum was the Celtics’ top scorer with 36 points and also had 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points.
The winners of the Eastern Conference will face either the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Finals, with Dallas leading the Western Conference series 2-0 in game three on Sunday.
