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, and Indiana beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-120 in its season opener. The two-time All-Star returned from a torn Achilles tendon and scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, adding 12 assists in 33 minutes.
“The best part was the end and that moment,” Haliburton said. “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.”
Haliburton had expected his first truly emotional moment to come at the Pacers’ home opener on Friday. Instead, it arrived in his first game back 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.
Haliburton Settles In After a Slow Start
Haliburton started quickly, scoring seven points in the first quarter and making his first shot of the season on a 4-foot runner that cut the Pelicans’ early lead to 10-8. He went scoreless in the second quarter and finished the first half with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting. He also missed four of five 3-point attempts before the break.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson led the first-half action with 15 of his 22 points, including a buzzer-beating 3 at halftime that put Indiana behind 66-56. Haliburton went scoreless in the third quarter, but he drew a foul on a dunk with 9:31 left in the fourth. He lay under the basket and enjoyed the moment while his teammates celebrated on the court and the bench.
“It felt good. It felt really good,” Haliburton said of his first made basket. “I think preseason prepared me for that in terms of not pressing and letting it come to me. I’m trying to play the right way and I got a layup that opened things up for me.”
Pacers Rally Late and Hold On
Haliburton added a three-point play with 7:41 remaining to cut New Orleans’ lead to 101-98. A hockey assist from him set up an Ivica Zubac alley-oop with 7:08 left, and the Pacers trimmed the deficit to 101-100. Seconds later, Haliburton appeared to taunt Pelicans big man Derik Queen, and both teams traded trash talk. Officials reviewed the exchange and gave Haliburton a technical foul.
“I didn’t say anything. I want my money back for that technical,” Haliburton said with a smile.
Andrew Nembhard’s layup gave Indiana a 106-104 lead with 5:38 remaining. Haliburton and Pascal Siakam re-entered the game with 4:14 left, just after Williamson made two free throws to tie the score. Haliburton then scored a running lay-in with two minutes left to give the Pacers a 118-116 edge, and another three-point play pushed the lead to 121-118 with 1:23 to play.
With about 20 seconds left, Nembhard declined a pass to Haliburton for a potential game-sealing shot. About six seconds later, Nembhard traveled, which gave New Orleans late hope. The Pelicans missed three 3-pointers in the final seconds, and the Pacers held on.
Siakam finished with a game-high 30 points. “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 star’s performance. “Tyrese played extremely well. It’s the first time he played over 30 minutes in 16½ months.”
Conditioning Work and Support From Murray
Haliburton admitted he was gassed for much of the game and 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 recovery. Haliburton even asked Murray during the game about the keys to getting in better shape after an Achilles tear.
Haliburton looked ahead to the next game. “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],” he said.
A Packed Section of Family and Friends
Many Pacers fans attended the game, and Haliburton also had a strong group of supporters in the building. His wife, Jade, whom he married this past offseason, hugged her emotional husband after the final buzzer. His parents, John and Brenda Haliburton, and his two brothers were also there. Haliburton’s agent, Aaron Mintz, shooting coach Drew Hanlen, marketing representative Kristina Kozica and other friends joined them.
“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.”