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The Boston Celtics pulled off a come-from-behind 114-111 road win Saturday night over the Indiana Pacers to move just a victory away from booking a spot in the 2024 NBA Finals.

The Celtics were surprisingly met by a tough challenge from the Pacers in that contest. Indiana missed the services of star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, but it played with a level of desperation that made up for the absence of the two-time All-Star weapon.

After the game, Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown acknowledged the tremendous play of the Pacers, who shot better and even recorded more assists than Boston despite missing their most prolific ball distributor.

“Some of those guys turned into f*****g Michael Jordan or whatever,” Brown said after the game, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) moves the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) in the second quarter during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports© David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to deny Brown’s observation. Andrew Nembhard, who had an expanded role due to Haliburton’s absence, went off for 32 points on 12/21 shooting from the field while also adding nine assists and four rebounds.

Nembhard committed a brutal turnover late in regulation, but his performance overall was more than what most people expected of him as a starter.

Meanwhile, backup point guard TJ McConnell came off the bench and fired 23 points on 10/17 attempts from the floor.

Overall, the Pacers were plus-eight in both total field goal attempts and assists in Game 3.