INDIANAPOLIS — On back-to-back possessions with the game on the line, the Pacers got exactly what they wanted: Julius Randle alone on an island against Tyrese Haliubrton.

Both times, Randle stayed with the emerging star. First, he forced an errant pass, and then a desperation right corner 3-point attempt, and the Knicks escaped Gainbridge Fieldhouse with the NBA’s longest win streak intact. The Knicks rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 1:56 despite an uneven performance, pushing their win streak to seven with a pulsating 109-106 victory over the improved Pacers on Sunday night.

“Right now New York is as good as any team in the NBA,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

Randle provided the winning margin with his lock–down defense and six clutch free throws in the final 45.6 seconds as the Knicks moved to 17-13, a season-high four games over .500, and won their sixth in a row on the road.

It took some late dramatics. After Aaron Nesmith’s uncontested dunk, the Knicks were down six with 1:56 to go. But the Pacers managed just two free throws the rest of the way. Jalen Brunson sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half, then followed it up with a steal and layup to cut it to one with 1:21 left. After two Randle free throws gave the Knicks the lead, the Pacers had two chances to go ahead. They ran a pick-and-roll involving Haliburton (15 points on 5-for-16 shooting, 10 assists) intended to result in a switch. Randle was up to the challenge, and made sure his defense didn’t go to waste by coming up big at the foul line.

“The competitor in me just says, ‘Get a stop,’ ” Randle said. “It’s challenging, but you just wanna make him make a tough shot over you.”

Said Brunson: “Great, fantastic. We switched for a reason. … Obviously Tyrese is really good. He’s able to create space, create shots. But we put ‘Ju’ in that position, knowing that he would come through for us.”

It capped a stellar defensive fourth quarter from the Knicks, who held the Pacers to 21 points over the final 12 minutes, 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point range and forced five turnovers. Really, that end of the floor has been the key to this winning streak, the Knicks vastly improving defensively to match an already strong offense.

“I think first, it’s just the trust. Just trusting each other, helping each other,” Randle said. “We’re in the right position. We’re the aggressor, not them, and it works. It’s contagious.”

Brunson keyed the offensive attack with his fifth 30-point game of the season, and second on this three-game road trip, while Randle added 25 points and 14 rebounds, and RJ Barrett had 24. Mitchell Robinson was a two-way force in the paint, contributing 10 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Buddy Hield and Nesmith each scored 23 for the Pacers (15-16).

In this run, the Knicks have been mostly dominant, winning five times by double figures. Sunday was different. Sunday, they trailed late. Sunday, they didn’t shoot the ball well from 3-point range (30.8 percent), committed 16 turnovers, allowed the Pacers to hit 13 3s and gave up 23 points in transition.

But in the final minutes, the Knicks wouldn’t let go of the rope. They found their game when it mattered most, refusing to accept defeat at the tail end of a week-long road trip.

“We’re playing some really good basketball right now, sticking together on both ends,” Barrett said. “Everybody’s contributing. It’s fun to watch. It’s amazing to see. We just got to continue that as long as we can.”