Tyrese Haliburton cried tears of joy on Wednesday night when he looked into the Smoothie King Center crowd and saw Pacers fans celebrating his return from a torn Achilles tendon. The two-time All-Star had expected to become emotional during the Indiana Pacers’ home opener on Friday, but the moment arrived earlier in New Orleans, where Indiana edged the Pelicans 123-120 to open the season.
“The best part was the end and that moment,” Haliburton said after the game. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster. I’m telling you, what made me feel that way was seeing all those Pacers fans here in New Orleans. That was special.”
A triumphant return
Haliburton admitted he was gassed, yet he still scored 23 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and recorded 12 assists in 33 minutes as the Pacers held on. It was his first game since he tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on June 22, 2025. Without him last season, the injury-plagued Pacers fell from Eastern Conference champions to a dismal 19-63 record.
Pascal Siakam, who led all scorers with 30 points, said Haliburton looked strong despite the rust. “He looked great. I told him it would take some time to get back to his shape,” Siakam said. “His shape is amazing with the pace and everything we play like. But the first game back, I’m just happy for him to be back on the floor. I know how hard last [season] was for him.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised his point guard’s workload. “Tyrese played extremely well. It’s the first time he played over 30 minutes in 16½ months,” Carlisle said.
Slow start, strong finish
Haliburton made his first shot of the season on a 4-foot runner that trimmed the Pelicans’ early lead to 10-8. He scored seven points in the first quarter but went scoreless in the second, finishing the first half with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting. He missed four of five 3-point attempts in that span and also contributed six assists in 17:42 of action.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson dominated the first half with 15 of his 22 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at halftime that put Indiana behind 66-56. Haliburton then went scoreless in the third quarter before taking over late.
With 9:31 remaining, he drew a foul on a dunk. While he calmly savoured the moment lying under the basket, his teammates celebrated enthusiastically on the court and the bench. He added a three-point play with 7:41 left to cut New Orleans’ lead to 101-98, and after a hockey assist from Haliburton set up an Ivica Zubac alley-oop dunk, the Pacers trimmed the deficit to 101-100.
Moments later, a fired-up Haliburton appeared to taunt Pelicans big man Derik Queen. Both teams exchanged trash talk, and Haliburton received a technical foul upon review. “I didn’t say anything. I want my money back for that technical,” Haliburton said with a smile.
Learning from Murray
Haliburton acknowledged that he still needs to build his conditioning. He credited Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray, who tore his right Achilles on Jan. 31, 2025, as his biggest NBA mentor during his own recovery. Haliburton even asked Murray during the game about the keys to getting in better shape after an Achilles tear.
The Pacers regained the lead at 106-104 on a Andrew Nembhard layup with 5:38 remaining. Haliburton and Siakam returned rested with 4:14 left, just as Williamson made two free throws to tie the score. Haliburton then delivered a running lay-in with two minutes to play to give Indiana a 118-116 advantage, followed by another three-point play that made it 121-118 with 1:23 remaining.
With about 20 seconds left, Nembhard declined a pass that could have set up a potential game-sealing shot for Haliburton. Roughly six seconds later, Nembhard was called for travelling, giving New Orleans a late chance. The Pelicans missed three 3-pointers in the final seconds, and Haliburton and the Pacers held on.
“It’s Game 1. What we appreciate about it is putting film on the coaches’ computers for us to watch. I will be thankful for that and prepare for Friday [against Dallas],” Haliburton said.
Family and friends in the stands
Haliburton had plenty of support in New Orleans. His wife, Jade, whom he married this past offseason, attended the game and hugged her emotional husband afterwards. His parents, John and Brenda Haliburton, and his two brothers were also there, along with his agent Aaron Mintz, shooting coach Drew Hanlen, marketing representative Kristina Kozica and other friends.
“My people flew out here. I think there was 12 people on the [private] plane,” Haliburton said. “My best friend, my brothers. My parents. My wife. My trainer. Mostly everybody. I think it was important for everybody to be there and they wanted to be there for me. It just means a lot.”