Haliburton Leads Pacers to Victory with Historic Triple-Double
INDIANAPOLIS – Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton redeemed himself after the Game 3 loss, delivering a stellar performance in Game 4. Haliburton vowed to be more aggressive and kept his word, leading the Pacers to a resounding victory that puts them one step away from the Eastern Conference Finals.From the initial jump, Haliburton demonstrated his mastery on the court. He achieved a historic triple-double: 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds, without committing any turnovers. This feat helped the Pacers achieve a 130-121 victory over the Knicks, securing a 3-1 lead in the series.
Haliburton became the first player in playoff history to record at least 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds without turnovers since turnovers began being tracked in the 1977-78 season. This performance propelled the Pacers to be one win away from the NBA Finals.
The Game 5 will be played on Thursday night in New York.“I just tried to be aggressive. I tried to play as best as I could. I feel like I let the team down in Game 3. I could have been a lot better. I feel like I responded the right way today,” Haliburton said.
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton shined on a special night, with his father, John, present at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the first time since the first round. John Haliburton had been unable to attend the previous eight playoff games due to an incident on the court. The Pacers allowed John Haliburton to return for Game 4 and sit in a box.
Haliburton expressed his joy at having his father at the game, but he was prouder of the way both he and the Pacers responded after Sunday’s loss.
In addition to Haliburton’s father, the Pacers had the presence of several former stars, including Jermaine O’Neal, George Hill, and Lance Stephenson, as well as celebrities such as Triple H from WWE, rapper 50 Cent, and singers John Mellencamp and Jelly Roll, to counter the usual attendance of famous Knicks fans.“I just want to show that I can respond when my back is against the wall, when our team’s back is against the wall. This is a big win for us because, if we go back there 2-2, the dynamic is a little different,” he stated.
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton and the Pacers set the pace from the start. Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, and Bennedict Mathurin, who had seen his minutes reduced in the first three games of the series, achieved 20 points off the bench. Overall, Indiana had a 51.1% field goal percentage and a 40.6% three-point percentage.
Haliburton was the key to everything. In addition to his points, the Pacers scored 33 points thanks to Haliburton’s 14 of 22 assists (63.6%). He achieved all this without turnovers, something he considers a point of pride and works on throughout the season.“Just getting back to ourselves. Playing our game and doing what we do best. Pushing the pace,” said Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith.
Aaron Nesmith
“It’s quite remarkable, but this has become his specialty,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “There will be a new statistical category, perhaps, that will bear his name at some point. He and Chris Paul, these guys, there aren’t many. I know John Stockton didn’t turn the ball over much when he played, LeBron James didn’t turn the ball over much. You can go through the list of the greatest of all time. And I know he takes great pride in it and that’s a motivating factor.”
Rick Carlisle
