Jrue Holiday did not feel well all day on Saturday. The Boston Celtics guard even missed the team’s morning shootaround.
However, when it mattered most, he looked just fine.
Holiday converted a three-point play with 38.9 seconds left to give Boston their first lead in nearly 36 minutes, followed that with a game-saving steal and then clinched the 114-111 victory at Indiana with two free throws to give the Celtics a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY
The Celtics overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half and can earn their second NBA Finals trip in three years with another win today at Indiana.
“I’m all right, had a fever, slept a lot, but I feel OK,” Holiday said. “I just made a play [at the end]. He’s a great player, had a great game. I just made a play.”
Holiday finished with 14 points, five in the final 39 seconds, and had nine rebounds on a night in which, at times, he appeared to be under the weather. Afterward, he sounded like himself and felt well enough to balance his children on his lap.
As Holiday struggled to find his footing, Boston’s other players got the job done.
Jayson Tatum matched his playoff career high with 36 points and had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylen Brown added 24 points, and 37-year-old Al Horford had 23 points and was seven-of-12 on three-pointers.
It was Holiday’s late-game heroics that silenced Indiana’s raucous crowd and kept Boston a perfect 5-0 on the road in this season’s playoffs.
“I’m glad we got him, Jrue’s a hell of a competitor,” Tatum said. “Obviously, he’s won a championship. For him to come out here and put it all on the line for us and come up with a big play to win the game, we’ve got a hell of a team.”
The Pacers were already facing a formidable road back in this series — even before they learned All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton would not play in Game 3 because of a left hamstring injury. It is not clear if he would be available for Game 4, either.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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