INDIANAPOLIS — Before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Tyrese Haliburton was questionable.
Once it started, he was brilliant.
Haliburton was the engine that drove Indiana’s 121-89 thrashing of the Knicks before a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The All-Star point guard had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.
This after being questionable with an assortment of ailments: lower-back spasms, a sacral contusion and a right ankle sprain.
But none of that stopped him, any more than a usually stout Knick defense that looked both shorthanded and worn down.
“No, I felt good,” Haliburton said. “We have the best medical staff in the NBA. It’s been around-the-clock treatment, all things that saved me to be good to go and I’m very appreciative of them. And now it’s time for more treatment after this and be ready for Game 5.”
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It marked a third straight strong game for Haliburton.
After an invisible six-point, six-shot night in their Game 1 loss at the Garden, he quickly adjusted.
More detail oriented film work followed, added attention to detail.
And of course a more aggressive mindset has led to him attacking the Knicks in transition.
For a worn out, shorthanded squad playing only six or seven men, he’s been too much to handle.
Haliburton led victories in Games 3 and 4 at home.
“At the end of the day, all we did was take care of business at home. We understand the magnitude of Game 5 and we’ll be prepared for it,” Haliburton said.
Haliburton set the pace for Indiana, figuratively and literally.
He had eight points and five boards on 2 of 4 shooting from behind the arc to notch a plus-23 in the first quarter alone.
Indiana ran out to a 34-14 lead and never looked back, padding the cushion to as much as 43.
He got out on the break repeatedly, and threw down a highlight dunk that electrified the crowd.
“I think just handling business, just doing what we’re supposed to do at the end of the day, coming off playing the right way for 48 minutes,” Haliburton said. “And that’s really the most important thing for us. We just handled business from start to finish. And I think that’s part of the maturation of this group that we’ve talked about all year.
“Now we got to, you know, truthfully flush that one, you know, take obviously watch film [Monday], but you know, take the good with the good, learn from the bad it’d be ready to go for Game 5”