When was the last time the Indiana Pacers lost a home game?

The Indiana Pacers are facing a 3-0 series deficit in their Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. The Pacers led for much of Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse but the Celtics mounted an dramatic late comeback to clinch the win.

The Pacers led for much of the game but a commanding 33-point fourth quarter performance from the Celtics saw them edge ahead, finally securing a 114-111 victory on the road.

Ahead of Saturday’s game Rick Carlisle’s side were on an impressive home court winning streak that stretched back 18 March, when they fell to a 103-108 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Heading into Saturday’s Game 3 the Pacers had won all six of their home games in the 2024 NBA Playoffs but they were defeated by a resilient Boston side.

The Pacers’ task was made more difficult by the absence of point guard Tyrese Haliburton for Game 3. He suffered a reoccurrence of a left hamstring injury in the Game 2 loss and Carlisle admitted that his availability for Game 4 is still unclear.

“Tyrese very much wants to play,” Carlisle said on Saturday. “He desperately wants to play. But the decision on tonight was taken out of his hands earlier in the day. It was determined that tonight was not an option. He is feeling better; we’ll see where he is on Monday.”

Another road win for relentless Celtics

The Pacers came up against a Celtics side that finished with the NBA’s best regular season record. Joe Mazzulla’s side play a dominating, physical style and they have proved durable on the road throughout the season.

During the regular season they had a road record of 27-14, picking up more wins away from home than any other Eastern Conference team. Only the New Orleans Pelicans (28-14) bettered their tally of wins on the road.

That good form continued into the post-season, where the Celtics twice beat the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center en route to a 4-1 series win. In Game 3 the Celtics racked up a 20-point margin of victory as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each put up 22 points. They fell to an 18-point deficit against the Pacers on Saturday but battled back with Jayson Tatun racking up 36 points. He was ably assisted with some clutch shooting from Al Horford in the fourth quarter.

Speaking after the game Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said that he relished the opportunity to battle back against the Pacers: “Once we embraced the fact that we were down double digits on the road in a game 3 against Indiana I thought it was pretty fun.”