Derrick White drained a tiebreaking corner 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in regulation, leading the Boston Celtics to a 105-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in Indianapolis, completing a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference finals.
Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, securing the top-seeded Celtics a spot in the NBA Finals for the second time in the past three seasons.
Andrew Nembhard tallied 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers.
Boston overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit by playing superior basketball down the stretch.
A defensive lapse by the Pacers left White alone in the right corner for the decisive shot. Brown spotted him, passed the ball, and White’s shot swished through the net.
Nembhard missed a 3-pointer with 33.6 seconds left, and Tatum grabbed the rebound. Indiana chose not to foul, and Tatum missed a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining. However, Jrue Holiday secured the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds left, allowing the Celtics to run out the clock.
This marked the second consecutive comeback win in Indianapolis for Boston, which had overcome an eight-point deficit with 2:38 left in Game 3 to secure a 114-111 victory.
Holiday contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, while White added 16 points, five steals, and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.
Pascal Siakam scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and T.J. McConnell added 15 points for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points, and Obi Toppin added 12.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second straight game.
The Celtics shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 14 of 44 from 3-point range.
Indiana made 46 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 29 from behind the arc.
McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter, giving the Pacers an 89-82 lead. A three-point play by Nembhard extended the lead to 94-85 with 8:57 remaining.
After Boston moved within four, Nesmith made consecutive baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 lead with 5:56 to go.
The Celtics responded with an 8-2 run, closing the gap to 100-98 on Holiday’s three-point play with 3:54 remaining.
Brown’s runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 left.
Tatum scored 16 points before halftime, as Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also tallied 16 points in the first half.
The Pacers held an 83-80 advantage going into the final quarter.