A new Pacers season got underway Wednesday evening in New Orleans, with excitement building for this team and the return of Tyrese Haliburton.
It had been a long, long time since the Pacers played meaningful basketball. Their last regular-season game was more than six months ago, on April 12, when they were lottery-bound and several players had already been ruled out for the season.
Opening night brings renewed hope. Locally, fans believe this is a championship-contending team. Nationally, there’s more uncertainity, particularly with so many talented teams in the Eastern Conference.
After all, that’s why you play the games.
Here are my running thoughts from the Pacers’ 123-120 win over the Pelicans — as their first victory at Smoothie King Center since Jan. 4, 2021, snapping a five-game losing streak in The Big Easy.
Haliburton played in three of four preseason games, but this was his first game of consequence in 486 days — since Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He’s beyond ready for this moment, even planning his outfit — walking in with a Triple H theme (from WWE). He’s going to have a handful of firsts this season, and this was another one. A big one.
Outstanding intro video by DAZN just before tip-off, especially getting Haliburton’s mom, Brenda, to voice it. She prefers to remain in the background so this was significant.
