Tyrese Haliburton delivered one of the most efficient and historic playoff performances in NBA history as the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 130-121 on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Haliburton finished with 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals, and zero turnovers — the first player to post such a stat line in the playoffs since turnovers began being tracked in 1977-78.
The Pacers now sit one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000, with Game 5 set for Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Haliburton became just the third player to record 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a postseason game, joining Nikola Jokic and Oscar Robertson.
Pascal Siakam contributed 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting while Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points off the bench, helping Indiana shoot 51.1 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three.
Obi Toppin’s late 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining put the game out of reach, capping off a night when Indiana led by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points and 5 assists, but New York was again plagued by an early deficit and defensive struggles, falling behind 43-35 after one quarter.
Karl-Anthony Towns posted 24 points and 12 rebounds, and OG Anunoby had 22 points, but New York couldn’t capitalize despite shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and converting 33 of 39 free throws.
The Knicks cut the deficit to six points multiple times late in the fourth, but the Pacers responded each time, including a 9-3 fourth-quarter run capped by Siakam that pushed the lead back to double digits.
The win marked the first time in the series that the home team prevailed and extended New York’s losing streak at Indiana to four games dating back to the regular season.
The loss places the Knicks on the brink of elimination, which would mark the second straight season they’ve been knocked out by Indiana in the playoffs.
