Tyrese Haliburton made history in Indiana's Game 4 win over the New York Knicks, with the Pacers closing in on the NBA Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton feels like he responded "the right way" to help the Indiana Pacers win Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, having felt like he "let the team down" in Game 3.
The Pacers, who won the first two games in the series, bounced back from their Game 3 loss with a 130-121 win on Tuesday to move within one win of the NBA Finals as they hold a 3-1 lead.
Haliburton recorded a historic triple-double, posting 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover in a sensational postseason performance.
He also helped to ensure the Pacers have not lost consecutive games since March 10, and marked the first time in the series that the home team won.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," Haliburton said. "Just trying to play my best.
"I felt like I let the team down in Game 3. I could have been so much better. I felt like I responded the right way.
"I just want to be able to prove that I can respond when my back's against the wall, when our team's back is against the wall.
"This is a big win for us because if we go back down there 2-2, it's a little different momentum-wise."
The Knicks struggled defensively in the first quarter, surrendering 43 points, and despite pulling within striking distance, the closest they got to Indiana was within six points in the closing minutes.
New York have impressed with their determination in the postseason, overcoming deficits to keep their season alive, but they now need to win three in a row to reach the Finals.
"In true fashion to our whole playoff run, we put ourselves in a deficit, got ourselves out of the deficit, and then usually we feel good about us going into a close game in the fourth quarter and showing our resilience," Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with a team-high 24 points, said.
"But you get burned if you put yourself in that position too many times.
"We think coming into the fourth quarter that we're going to find that one trick again. We just didn't have that magic tonight."
Game 5 will take place in New York on Thursday.