INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 20 points and Marcus Morris started a decisive three-point flurry late in the fourth quarter Sunday (Monday, PHL time) to give the Boston Celtics a series-clinching 110-106 victory at Indiana.
It’s the first four-game sweep for the Celtics since 2011 and their second since 1986-87, becoming the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs.
Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 22 points and Tyreke Evans finished with a playoff career-high of 21 to lead the Pacers. It still wasn’t enough to prevent Indiana from enduring its second first-round sweep in three years — the only two best-of-seven sweeps in franchise history.
This game, unlike the previous three, did not turn on Boston’s suffocating second-half defense. Instead, it was a flagrant foul called on Indiana’s Cory Joseph with 6:45 to play.
Jayson Tatum took advantage by making both free throws to give the Celtics an 83-82 lead. Al Horford sank 1-of-2 on Boston’s next possession and then Morris started the decisive flurry with a three-pointer with 5:08 to play. Hayward’s three-point play with 4:24 left made it 90-83 and Boston made three more triples over the next three minutes to take an insurmountable 102-90 lead.
Twice in the first half, it looked like Boston might run away with the victory.
But the Pacers charged back to take a 49-47 halftime lead and extended it to 56-49 in the third quarter.
That’s when Boston rallied, closing a methodical comeback with the final four points of the third to take a 73-72 lead and then put it away behind the shooting of Hayward and Morris, who had 18 points and eight rebounds.
Kyrie Irving had 14 points and seven assists for Boston.
