Sports · Basketball · 6 hrs ago
Tyrese Haliburton returns as the Pacers aim to contend again
Tyrese Haliburton returned to game action on Oct.
7, playing for the Indiana Pacers against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game at Iowa State, his college arena.
It was his first game in 16 months, after he tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Haliburton played 16 minutes, scoring seven points and making six assists as Indiana won 123-112.
Before the injury, he had helped lead the Pacers to the 2025 Finals with clutch shots throughout the playoffs.
Indiana won only 19 games while he recovered, but the team still aims to win a championship with him back.
Expectations are cautious: a projection cited in the story gives the Pacers 42 wins and ranks them 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton and the Pacers now face the 2026-27 season as they try to regain their place among the East's top teams.
Tyrese Haliburton returned to game action on Oct. 7, playing for the Indiana Pacers in a preseason win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was his first game since he tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Haliburton scored seven points and had six assists in 16 minutes as Indiana won 123-112.
The Pacers won 19 games while he recovered during the 2025-26 season.
Haliburton says the team’s goal remains winning a championship, while ESPN’s Basketball Power Index projects Indiana to win 42 games in 2026-27.
- Who
- Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
- What
- Haliburton returned to game action after recovering from a torn right Achilles.
- When
- Oct. 7, in the Pacers’ preseason opener.
- Where
- Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
- Why
- Haliburton returned after recovering from his injury; he says the Pacers’ goal is to win a championship.
ESPN Basketball Power Index
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers
2026-27 outlook
ESPN Basketball Power Index
The index projects the Pacers to win 42 games and ranks them 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers
Haliburton says the team’s goal is to win a championship, and the Pacers’ core players believe in each other.
Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Game 7.
Haliburton recovered while the Pacers won 19 games.
Haliburton played his first game since the injury, scoring seven points and recording six assists in a 123-112 preseason win over the Timberwolves.
- Return date
- Oct. 7
- Minutes played
- 16
- Preseason result
- Pacers 123, Timberwolves 112
- Haliburton’s stat line
- 7 points and 6 assists
- Pacers’ 2025-26 record
- 19 wins
- ESPN Basketball Power Index projection
- 42 wins; 10th in the Eastern Conference
What people are saying
But our goal is to win a championship. That has never wavered.
But even through that, I just kept feeling like, 'Man, I'm playing again.'
Finding that magic again, that's no guarantee.
Sources
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