In his first official game since tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals in June, the star point guard Tyrese Halliburton led st Pacers to victory in the comeback in New Orleans, Mark J. Spears writes for ESPN.com.
Halliburton scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and dished out 12 assists in 34 minutes in a three-point win over the Pelicans. He didn’t expect to get emotional before Friday’s home game, but then cried tears of joy when he saw Pacers fans in the crowd celebrating his triumphant return.
“The best part was the ending and the momentHalliburton Spears said.It was an emotional roller coaster. I tell you what made me feel that way when I saw all those Pacers fans here in New Orleans. It was special.”
According to Spears, Halliburton leaned on the Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray for advice on how he recovered from his own Achilles tear and even asked him about how to improve his fitness during the game. Several people close to the 26-year-old attended Indiana’s season opener.
“My people flew here. I think there were 12 people on the (private) planeHalliburton said.My best friend, my brothers. My parents. My wife. My coach. Basically everyone. I think it was important for everyone to be there and they wanted to be there for me. It just means a lot.”
Here’s more from all over Central:
- with TJ McConnell still recovering from a hamstring strain Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle turned to Quenton Jackson within minutes off the bench and called the fifth guard the team’s “game hero” after Jackon’s back-to-back steals led to a pair of layups late in the third quarter to cut a seven-point deficit to three. “(Jackson) came in and right away … there was a four-point swing in the second half“, said Carlisle, trans Zion Brown of The Indianapolis Star. “And then he earned his way in a time of crisis. That’s what we need. We just need guys who play their hearts out. Nothing less will get us there.”
- After re-signing with Art Bucks veteran shooting guard to a four-year, $64 million contract Gary Trent Jr struggled during the preseason and then was a healthy scratch in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to Washington, notes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. There is a league investigating Trent’s deal from Milwaukee to determine was it a form of circumvention of the salary cap.
- The Bykov“the opening of the season could not have gone much worse, writes Joe Cawley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Not only were they embarrassed by Toronto, losing by a staggering 43 points, but the Bulls also showed little competitive spirit. “The way we competed“, head coach Tiago Splitter said when asked what disappointed him most about the scratch. “We can’t put up with that after the flip, the head down at running back.” As Cowley notes, Chicago’s upcoming schedule looks extremely difficult, so Friday’s matchup with Milwaukee will be especially important if the team wants to add a point to the win column.
