Tyrese Haliburton broke into tears of joy Wednesday night when he looked into the Smoothie King Center crowd and saw Pacers fans celebrating his return from a torn Achilles tendon. The Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-120 in their season opener.
Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, had expected his first truly emotional moment to come at the Pacers’ home opener on Friday. “The best part was the end and that moment,” he 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 Gassed but Dominant Return
Haliburton admitted he was exhausted, but he still scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and added 12 assists in 33 minutes as the Pacers held on. It was his first game since he tore his right Achilles in a Game 7 loss to the 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 19-63 record.
“He looked great. I told him it would take some time to get back to his shape,” said Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, who led all scorers with 30 points. “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: “Tyrese played extremely well. It’s the first time he played over 30 minutes in 16½ months.”
Slow Start, Strong Finish
Haliburton opened the scoring with a 4-foot runner that cut the Pelicans’ early lead to 10-8. He scored seven points in the first quarter but went scoreless in the second. He finished the first half with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, missing four of five 3-point attempts, and had six assists in 17:42. He also went scoreless in the third quarter.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson dominated the first half with 15 of his 22 points, including a halftime buzzer-beating 3 that put Indiana behind 66-56.
The momentum shifted in the fourth quarter. With 9:31 left, Haliburton drew a foul on a dunk. He stoically enjoyed the moment lying under the basket while his teammates celebrated on the court and the bench. He added another three-point play with 7:41 remaining to trim New Orleans’ lead to 101-98. A hockey assist from Haliburton then set up an Ivica Zubac alley-oop dunk with 7:08 left, cutting the deficit to 101-100.
Trash Talk and a Technical
Seconds later, a fired-up Haliburton appeared to taunt Pelicans big man Derik Queen. Both teams engaged in trash talk, and Haliburton received a technical foul after a review. “I didn’t say anything. I want my money back for that technical,” he said with a smile.
Haliburton credited Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray, who tore his right Achilles on Jan. 31, 2025, as his biggest NBA mentor during his recovery. He even asked Murray during the game about how to get back into better shape after an Achilles tear.
Closing Minutes
After Haliburton sat, the Pacers regained the lead at 106-104 on a layup from Andrew Nembhard with 5:38 remaining. Haliburton and Siakam returned with 4:14 left, just as Williamson made two free throws to tie the score. A running lay-in by Haliburton with two minutes left put Indiana ahead 118-116, and another three-point play gave the Pacers a 121-118 lead with 1:23 to go.
With about 20 seconds left, Nembhard declined to pass to Haliburton for a possible game-sealing shot. About six seconds later, Nembhard traveled, giving the Pelicans a late chance. New Orleans missed three 3-pointers in the final seconds, 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 afterward. His parents, John and Brenda Haliburton, and two brothers were 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.”