Haliburton Leads Pacers Past Knicks in Game 4 Win

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton delivered a historic triple-double to lift the Indiana Pacers over the New York Knicks 130-121 on Tuesday night, pushing Indiana to within one win of its first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.

The 24-year-old guard tallied 32 points, 15 assists and a career-high 12 rebounds without committing a turnover, becoming the first player in NBA playoff history to record a 30-15-10 game with zero turnovers.

“I was just trying to be aggressive, trying to respond,” Haliburton said. “I felt like I let the team down in game three so it was important to come out here and just make plays.”

Indiana now leads the Eastern Conference finals 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 5 set for Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“Guys put me in position to make plays and play my game and man, it’s a big win for us,” Haliburton added.

Haliburton’s performance was further charged by the return of his father to the arena, following a league-imposed ban after a prior playoff incident involving Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Hell yeah. I’m glad pop is in the building,” he said. “It makes it that much more sweet. Had a little bit to do with it.”

Haliburton also registered four steals, shooting 11-of-23 from the field and 5-of-12 from three-point range.

“We tried giving him different looks,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ll look at the film. We just have to do better.”

Pascal Siakam added 30 points for Indiana, while Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench with 20 points, helping the Pacers keep momentum throughout the game.

“We just wanted to come out with more energy, more urgency,” Siakam said. “I thought we did that from the beginning. They made runs but we stuck to our game plan.”

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle credited Mathurin’s impact, saying, “He was great. He gave us a huge lift.”

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points. Karl-Anthony Towns posted 24 points and 12 rebounds but appeared to tweak his left knee with just over two minutes remaining.

“He was able to go back in. That was a good sign,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll see how he is after he’s evaluated.”

Towns declined to focus on the injury postgame. “I’m only thinking about the loss. I’m not thinking about that right now,” he said.

OG Anunoby added 22 points, Mikal Bridges scored 17 and Josh Hart contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for New York, which has not reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and last won the title in 1973.

“You’ve got to give it your all,” Brunson said. “It’s that simple.”

The Pacers built an early cushion, leading 43-35 after the first quarter with Haliburton notching 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.

“To not have any turnovers is pretty remarkable,” Carlisle said. “I know he takes great pride in it. That’s a motivating factor.”

Indiana extended its lead to 102-91 entering the fourth quarter. Siakam’s five straight points in the final period gave Indiana its biggest lead at 111-96.

New York trimmed the deficit to 115-109 with 4:24 left, but Obi Toppin’s clutch three-pointer with 46 seconds remaining sealed the victory for Indiana.

Aaron Nesmith, who sprained his ankle in Game 3, returned to the court and scored 16 points, while Myles Turner added 13 before fouling out.

Indiana shot 51.1 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, improving their transition dominance with a 22-9 edge in fast-break points — and a commanding 65-23 advantage across the series.

The Knicks, who shot 46.3 percent overall and 42.9 percent from deep, held a 44-33 edge in rebounding but were hurt by 17 turnovers.

“The important thing is to reset,” Thibodeau said. “We’re not playing the series. We’re playing the game.”

Indiana last reached the NBA Finals in 2000 and is still seeking its first NBA championship.

The winner of the Eastern Conference finals will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Finals starting June 5.