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Tyrese Haliburton finally returned to the building where his 2025 NBA Finals ended in heartbreak, and the Indiana Pacers star admitted it was not as difficult as he expected. Haliburton scored 24 points in just one half of action on Tuesday night as the Pacers fell 114-112 in overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a preseason game at Paycom Center.
It was his first time playing in Oklahoma City since he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 Finals, an injury that cost him the entire 2025-26 season.
Speaking with Jordan Davis after the game, Haliburton said he had braced himself for a tough night.
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“I thought I would feel maybe a little more emotion coming in here. I don’t know if it was sadness or scared or whatever,” Haliburton said. “But once the ball jumped up, it just felt like normal, and shootaround felt like normal, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.”
I caught up with Tyrese Haliburton following his 24-point outing in the Pacers’ preseason loss to the Thunder.
It marked his first time playing in OKC since tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
“I thought I would feel maybe a little more emotion coming in… pic.twitter.com/WPiZ8REwm4
— Jordan Davis (@thejordancdavis) October 14, 2026
Haliburton sat out Indiana’s previous preseason game while dealing with an ankle issue, and he said he wanted to get back on the floor to get some game reps, even if it meant facing the Thunder.
“I just kind of ripped the Band-Aid off, getting it out of the way now,” Haliburton said.
He wasted no time looking like himself. The two-time All-Star shot 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range, adding three rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 18 first-half minutes. He had 19 points after roughly 10 minutes on the floor, including a three-pointer from 34 feet.
“It feels good, man. I put a lot of work in. It’s been a long 16 months or whatever it is,” Haliburton said. “So yeah, it definitely feels good to see the fruits of your labor, and hope to keep growing.”
The Pacers struggled mightily without him last season, finishing with just 19 wins. They will close out the preseason on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks before opening the regular season on Oct. 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Haliburton said he is simply looking forward to “all the mundane things in basketball” that come with being back.
Related: Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton is all the way back after monster first half vs. Thunder
Related: Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton in OKC for first time since devastating NBA Finals injury