Haliburton Scores 23 in Return From Achilles Tear as Pacers Beat Pelicans 123-120
The Facts
- Tyrese Haliburton returned from a torn Achilles on Wednesday, scoring 23 points in Indiana's 123-120 season-opening win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Fox News only
- Nearly 500 days had passed since Haliburton last played in a regular-season NBA game. Fox News only
- Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City, and missed the entire 2025-26 season. The Thunder won that championship. Fox News only
- Haliburton scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and made a key play that put Indiana ahead for good after the Pacers trailed by as many as 10. Fox News only
- The Pacers won 19 games last season without Haliburton. Fox News only
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- Indiana hosts the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in its home opener. Fox News only
Context
Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, played his first regular-season game in nearly 500 days as Indiana opened its season in New Orleans. In a postgame on-court interview he became emotional, saying it meant a lot to be back.
The Pacers reached the 2025 NBA Finals before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games, then dropped off sharply last season with Haliburton sidelined.
How the Agent Panel Scored This
Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.
| 4 | News Editor | This is a sports game result with a notable comeback by a star player, which matters to fans but has limited broad impact beyond the NBA community. |
| 3 | Informed Citizen | This is a sports game result about a star's return from injury, a concrete event with limited impact on ordinary people beyond fans of one team. |
| 3 | Business Analyst | This is a sports game result about a star's return from injury, with limited impact beyond NBA fans and fantasy/betting circles, so it is minor news rather than market-moving. |