Haliburton's Return From Achilles Tear Lifts Pacers Past Pelicans

Tyrese Haliburton's long-delayed return to an NBA court ended in a win. Four hundred eighty-six days after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers' point guard scored 23 points and handed out 12 assists on Wednesday night, helping Indiana erase a deficit that had reached 14 points for a 123-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The game, played at Smoothie King Center, opened the 2026-27 regular season for both franchises.

Haliburton shot 8 of 15 from the field, including 2 of 6 from three-point range, and made all five of his free throws in 34 minutes, according to the official NBA box score. Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 30 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter, to go with eight rebounds. Center Ivica Zubac added 16 points and 14 rebounds, Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench, and Andrew Nembhard contributed 18 points and nine assists. For New Orleans, Dejounte Murray scored 23 and Zion Williamson added 22, including two second-quarter three-pointers. Yves Missi finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, and rookie big man Derik Queen had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who fell to 0-1.

A Fourth-Quarter Reversal

New Orleans controlled much of the night. The Pelicans outscored Indiana 35-18 in the second quarter to lead 66-56 at halftime, and the Pacers were still down 92-86 entering the fourth, per the ESPN box score. New Orleans extended that to an eight-point edge, 101-93, before Indiana's response began. Haliburton scored eight of the Pacers' next ten points in a 90-second stretch, and Indiana used a 15-3 run to take a 108-104 lead. Williamson answered with a driving layup and a free throw to tie the game at 116, but Haliburton scored on back-to-back possessions down the stretch to put Indiana ahead 121-118. Reserve guard Quenton Jackson closed it out with two free throws with 45.7 seconds left, after which Williamson missed a finger roll at the other end that would have tied the score again.

Haliburton, speaking afterward and fighting back tears, said the night carried weight beyond the box score.

"It means a lot to be back out here. We got a lot to pick up. Second quarter wasn't good, but we're battle tested. Really proud of this group."

Sixteen Months Removed From Game 7

Haliburton tore his Achilles on June 22, 2025, during Indiana's Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, an injury that cost him the entire 2025-26 season. Without him, and after also losing center Myles Turner in free agency, the Pacers collapsed to a 19-63 record, the second-worst mark in the league. In February 2026, Indiana remade its frontcourt, sending Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and three draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Zubac and forward Kobe Brown, according to an NBA.com report on the trade. Wednesday's opener was the first time that reshaped roster — Zubac and Nembhard alongside a healthy Haliburton — took the floor together in a game that counted, and it came, pointedly, on the road rather than in Indianapolis or on a national broadcast, a scheduling choice Haliburton had questioned in the days beforehand.

What's Next

For the Pelicans, who finished 26-56 last season, the loss leaves questions about depth beyond Murray, Williamson and a promising young front line in Missi and Queen; New Orleans was next scheduled to play at Utah on Friday night, per the NBA's schedule. The Pacers, meanwhile, host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Haliburton's first game in Indianapolis since the injury, and the first chance for the team's home fans to see him play a game that matters since that night in Oklahoma City sixteen months ago.