Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton is all the way back after monster first half vs. Thunder appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tyrese Haliburton must not have very fond memories of the last time he stepped foot at Paycom Center. After all, this is where he ruptured his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, being unable to help the Indiana Pacers get over the hump and win their first NBA title in a hard-fought series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But on Tuesday night preseason action, Haliburton did not show any signs of fear as he suited up for the Pacers’ clash against the Thunder on the road. In fact, he picked up where he left off prior to suffering that devastating injury. In 18 first half minutes, Haliburton put up a monster stat line, recording 24 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks while shooting a clean 9-14 from the field (4-6 from deep).
HALILUJAH 🗣
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)
Tyrese Haliburton came out SCORCHING HOT for the Pacers in the first half vs. the Thunder ♨️
24 points 9-of-14 FG
3 rebounds 4-of-6 3PT
3 assists
2 blocks
18 minutesHali is BACK! pic.twitter.com/kcw6n75q0Q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 14, 2026
There are legitimate reasons to be concerned for Haliburton heading into the 2026-27 campaign. A ruptured Achilles is no joke, and he just missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season to recover.
While Jayson Tatum and Dejounte Murray showed that recovering from this injury is not as challenging as it once was, every player is different. Nonetheless, it’s an extremely encouraging sign for the Pacers that Haliburton is rounding into form this early in the season, suggesting that he won’t be suffering from much rust to begin the regular season.
This Pacers team will be looking to get back to contending ways after needing just one win to win it all and failing to get that in the 2025 NBA Finals. With that in mind, Haliburton could be in for some periodic rest. It’s unlikely that he suits up in back-to-back games, at least early in the season, as Indiana tries to preserve his health for when the games matter the most.
During Haliburton’s last healthy season, he put up 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per contest — reasonable numbers for him to average this upcoming season.
Related: Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton in OKC for first time since devastating NBA Finals injury
Related: Mark Daigneault happy for Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton to return from devastating injury