The Indiana Pacers point guard became the first player in NBA history to record 30 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds without turning the ball over in a playoff game.
Tyrese Haliburton delivered when it mattered most on Tuesday night, producing a performance that will be talked about for years to come.
His stat line read like something from a video game: 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, four steals, and zero turnovers in the Pacers’ crucial 130-121 Game 4 victory over the New York Knicks (1.51). The win puts Indiana just one game away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
Numbers That Tell the Story
Haliburton’s performance was historic in multiple ways. He joined an exclusive club with Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokić as the only players to record 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists in a postseason game. But what made Tuesday special was doing it without a single turnover – something that had never been achieved before.
The 24-year-old became just the eighth player to dish out 15 or more assists without a turnover in playoff history. For context, that’s rarer than a triple-double, which happens roughly once every 12 games across the league.
His first quarter alone was remarkable: 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists as the Pacers (2.55) scored a franchise-record 43 points in the opening frame. That’s one more point than they managed in the entire second half of their Game 3 defeat just two days earlier.
From Blame to Brilliance
What made Haliburton’s performance even more impressive was the context. After Indiana scored just 42 points in the second half of Sunday’s loss, the All-NBA guard took full responsibility.
“I think a lot of our offensive struggles in the second half were due to me,” he said after Game 3. “I’ve got to be better and I will be better.”
He wasn’t lying. The Pacers made six three-pointers in Tuesday’s first quarter alone – Haliburton knocked down three of them – after managing just five for the entire Game 3.
Defensive Impact Often Overlooked
While Haliburton’s offensive numbers grab headlines, his defensive contribution was equally crucial. All 12 of his rebounds came on the defensive end, and his four steals helped disrupt New York’s rhythm at key moments.
In the third quarter, with the Knicks cutting the lead to 89-84, Tyrese Haliburton made two plays that summed up his night. First, he drove hard to the basket, finishing a contested left-handed layup through contact. On the very next possession, he stripped the ball from Jalen Brunson, dove to the floor to secure it, and called a timeout – all while the home crowd erupted.
Historical Context
This was Haliburton’s 11th career game with 15 or more assists and zero turnovers, counting regular season and playoffs. That puts him just three shy of John Stockton’s NBA record of 14 such games.
The second-year Pacer has been building towards nights like this. He averaged 20.1 points and 10.9 assists during the regular season, becoming one of just five players to average at least 20 and 10 since 1990.
One Win Away
The Pacers now lead the series 3-1 and can close it out at home in Game 5. If they do, it would mark just the second Eastern Conference title in franchise history and put them five wins away from their first NBA championship.
“We’re building something special here,” Haliburton said after the game, deflecting praise about his historic stat line. “I’m just trying to play the right way and impact winning.”
With performances like Tuesday’s, he’s doing exactly that. The question now isn’t whether Haliburton can lead Indiana to the Finals – it’s whether anyone can stop him.
