Indiana Pacers well-rounded night propels team to Game 4 victory

The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 130-121 for the 3-1 series lead behind a well-rounded offensive night and a defensive effort that kept the Knicks fighting for the lead.

Tyrese Haliburton led the way for the Pacers with 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and zero turnovers on 11-for-23 shooting, knocking down five three-pointers. Pascal Siakam had 30 points on 11-for-21 shooting to go along with Haliburton. 

Fellow starters Aaron Nesmith, 16 points, and Myles Turner, 13 points, chipped in offensively as well. The Pacers also received an offensive spark from their bench with Bennedict Mathurin scoring 20 points in 12 minutes.

And their ball movement was also effective. As a team, they assisted on 29 of their 45 made shots. The starters – with Haliburton’s 15 – had 22 of the assists. 

As for their defense, they finished with 11 steals and four blocks, forcing the Knicks into 17 turnovers for 20 points. 

This allowed the Pacers to not only keep the Knicks from securing the lead – and running away with it – but for them to play fast as well. The Pacers scored 22 fast break points and excelled in the paint, scoring 50 points in the area. 

The Knicks, meanwhile, had an excellent scoring night from Jalen Brunson (31 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points), OG Anunoby (22 points) and Mikal Bridges (17 points). It was not enough to take over with the Pacers shooting 51% from the field and the Knicks being outscored by a combined 14 points in the first and third quarters. 

And in the first quarter, the game started with the Pacers gaining control and holding onto it.

Haliburton scored 15 points in the frame, going 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Siakam also found his rhythm early with 11 points, and Nesmith added eight for the Pacers to surpass Brunson’s early dominance with 13 points. The next leading scorer for the Knicks in the frame was Bridges with six points. 

But the Knicks were not without hope after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Towns started attacking the rim, knocking down two shots in the paint and five free throws. Anunoby also excelled with nine points, getting looks at the rim and a midrange jumper. 

However, the Pacers had nine players score in the frame and forced the Knicks into five turnovers to retain the lead entering the third quarter.

In the third, it was Brunson who stepped up for the Knicks, attacking the rim to score nine points off of free throws, and the team thrived in the paint, scoring all seven of their jumpers in the area for 14 points.

The Pacers, though, had another well-rounded quarter offensively with Haliburton, Siakam, Turner and Mathurin all scoring five or more points, forcing the Knicks into five more turnovers. 

This Pacer’s composure persisted into the fourth quarter, allowing them to walk away with the crucial victory. While the Knicks ended with 33 made free throws, the Pacers finished right behind them with 27.