In Tyrese Haliburton's long-awaited return, the Pacers won their first game of the 2026-27 season. The Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-120 on the road at the Smoothie King Center.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 30 points. Despite missing starting small forward Aaron Nesmith (left hamstring strain) and T.J. McConnell (right hamstring strain), the Pacers began the season in the win column.
Here's how the Pacers got to 1-0.
Pacers march back in 4th quarter
The Pacers entered the fourth quarter trailing by six, but they outscored the Pelicans 37-28 in the final frame to start the season off right.
Something seemed to click on both ends of the floor for Indiana in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans scored whenever and however they wanted for most of the game, but they made just 41% of their field goals in the final quarter.
The Pacers, on the other hand, made 67% of their fourth-quarter field goals. Siakam and Haliburton combined for 25 points in the quarter to lead the Pacers back. Despite trailing by nine points early in the quarter, the Pacers managed to get out of New Orleans with a victory.
Tyrese Haliburton logs double-double in return, tears up
Haliburton put up 23 points and 12 assists in his first game back. The All-NBA guard found a solid balance of attacking and distributing throughout the night.
The Pacers don't make that fourth-quarter comeback without Haliburton. He showed why the team can compete for a championship with him after they went 19-63 last season without him. Haliburton's floor game looked crisp as ever, leading to the win. The Pacers started and ended the game strong due to Haliburton's impact on the court.
"It means a lot to be back out there," Haliburton said while tearing up on DAZN after the final buzzer.
Haliburton was emotional after dropping 23 PTS and 12 AST in his return 🥺
— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2026
Glad to have you back, Hali 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dwW7OGr8kx
Pacers feel absence of Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell
Playing without Nesmith and McConnell altered the Pacers' rotations.
The team signed wing Kelly Oubre Jr. this summer to be its sixth man, but he had to start with Nesmith sidelined. Oubre scored just four points, and he typically played in lineups that included multiple other starters.
When Haliburton rested, the Pacers lacked the quality ball-handling and offensive initiation that McConnell provides. Andrew Nembhard acted as the team's backup point guard (and started at shooting guard), and while he had nine assists, the offense felt stagnant in bench lineups.
McConnell and Oubre project as the backcourt of the Pacers' second unit, and neither was able to play that role Wednesday. The lack of scoring and shot creation was apparent, especially during the team's 18-point second quarter that saw the Pacers score their first points of the period 4:31 in.
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Walk off the floor with Tyrese Haliburton after he drops 23 points & 12 assists in his first game back 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fAYclA5Sp9
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 22, 2026
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyrese Haliburton tears up after double-double gets Pacers to 1-0 in New Orleans