The Indiana Pacers led by as much as 20 points and had a legitimate chance to go up 3-0 in their Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Knicks. Instead, they suffered a mighty collapse as Tom Thibodeau's men cut the series lead to 2-1.
Indiana had no answer for Karl-Anthony Towns, who exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter alone to lead the Knicks' 106-100 comeback. The All-Star big man finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in the dominant showing.
While the Pacers were still up by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, it quickly disappeared as they struggled to contain the Knicks offense led by Towns. New York finished with 36 points in the quarter, while Indiana only had 20.
Tyrese Haliburton, for his part, had 20 points, four rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the contest. He also shot 46.7 percent from the field, although he was 2-of-8 from deep.
While it's not a bad game overall for Haliburton, he admitted that their offensive issues in the second half were partly his fault. After all, he's the playmaker and was supposed to get their offense going.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
"Obviously a 42 point half isn't us," Haliburton said, referring to their combined points in the third and fourth quarters, per Tyler Smith of Indy Sports Legends.
"A lot of our offensive struggles in the 2nd half were due to me. I've got to be better, and I will be better in Game 4."
On the other hand, while Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn't specifically blame anyone for their loss, he pointed out that their execution in the second half of the game was what really doomed them.
"Poor job of closing the third quarter and not a good enough start of the fourth quarter," Carlisle shared, according to Tony East of Forbes. "Turned it into a real back-and-forth game. ... and we did not execute enough."
Game 4 of the series is set for Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Sure enough, it will be interesting to see the adjustments Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers make against a Knicks team that has stepped up defensively.