Key Moment

Boston trailed Chicago 85-84 with 10:09 remaining in Wednesday night’s Game 5. They responded when they needed to, however, with a 14-4 run that gave them a lead they’d never relinquish.

Many plays were made during the fourth quarter, highlighted by Isaiah Thomas’ 11 points, by Kelly Olynyk’s ferocious and-one floater, by Al Horford’s halfcourt steal and resounding dunk, and by Horford’s and-one bucket in the paint.

Rewind to just before the 10-minute mark, however, and you’ll find what ignited Boston’s critical run: No. 8, Jonas Jerebko.

You won’t hear much talk about Jerebko after this game, but he deserves it. He’s the one who fueled the Celtics and TD Garden with undeniable energy.

Jerebko’s first spark arrived at the 10:44 mark of the fourth, when he made a beautiful basketball read from the left wing while playing off of the ball. He noticed that his defender, Nikola Mirotic, had turned his back to Jerebko and was staring at the ball, which was in Marcus Smart’s hands along the right side of the paint. Jerebko immediately cut down the center of the lane, and Smart hit him with a dish that led to a two-handed flush that tied the game up at 81-81.

The crowd rose to its feet, and the Celtics were ready to roll.

The teams went back-and-forth over the next three possessions, with Chicago pulling ahead 85-84, before Jerebko made another play that injected Boston with energy.

This time, at the defensive end, he was defending Mirotic in transition near the right wing while Dwyane Wade brought the ball up the court along the left sideline. Wade tried to toss an entry pass to Cristiano Felicio, who was cutting down the center of the lane, but Jerebko was too smart to let it happen.

Jerebko, who was alert to both his man and the ball, read Wade’s eyes the whole way. Replays show Jerebko breaking on the ball like a safety for an interception before it even left Wade’s hands. Jerebko rose up with his right hand, picked off the attempted alley-oop, and tossed an outlet pass to Terry Rozier, who then hit Isaiah Thomas for a transition layup.

That bucket pushed Boston on top 86-85 at the 9:40 mark and it would hold on to a lead until the final buzzer.

Many more highlights were to come following that moment, but it was Jerebko’s basketball IQ that got the whole run started.