Tyrese Haliburton wasted no time reminding everyone what the Pacers can be with him on the floor.
After missing all of last season following an Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton returned in Indiana’s season opener and looked sharp right away. In a 123-120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he played 33 minutes and delivered 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including 2-for-6 from deep. He also added 12 assists against just three turnovers, two rebounds and a steal.
The second half looked especially familiar. Haliburton scored 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting after the break, once he settled in and started looking like the same high-level playmaker and facilitator who can bend an offense around his reads. He was pushing the pace, finding teammates, and showing that he is still a major scoring threat.
For the Celtics, that should be an unsettling sight.
Boston already got a full dose of Indiana’s pressure in the 2024 Playoffs, when the Pacers pushed them in the conference finals. Technically it went as a four-game sweep, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Outside of Game 2, every game in that series was decided by five points or fewer.
That was the kind of matchup that made Indiana so difficult to handle. Boston rolled through the Miami Heat in the first round, won comfortably over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next, and had a less dramatic path against the Dallas Mavericks in the finals.
Indiana was different. The Pacers’ pace, movement and relentless style made them a miserable team to defend for a full game, much less over the course of a series.
And while this group is not identical, enough remains in place to make them dangerous again. Rick Carlisle is still coaching.
Andrew Nembhard has taken another step. Pascal Siakam remains a problem.
Aaron Nesmith could be set for a bounce-back season. T.J.
McConnell is still around, though not at the same level he showed in 2024. Myles Turner is gone, Bennedict Mathurin is gone, and Ivica Zubac is listed as an upgrade despite not fitting the floor-spacing mold.
But none of that changes the biggest fact of all: Haliburton is back. The Pacers are back with him. And after coming within one win - or half, depending on how you want to frame it - of winning it all in 2024, they suddenly look like a real force in the East again.
In Other News...
Paul Georges Celtics Debut Came With One Awkward Twist
Paul Georges first night in a Celtics uniform had plenty for Boston to feel good about, even with the season opener ending in a loss to Detroit. The veteran wing arrived with the kind of scoring punch the Celtics expected, immediately showing why the team went after him, and he also climbed past Kyle Korver on the all-time 3-point list in the process.
Georges debut did come with one awkward footnote, though, after the league fined him $2,000 for a flopping incident in the fourth quarter against Duncan Robinson. It was a strange little coda to a performance that otherwise fit the kind of instant impact Boston was hoping for, and it left his first Celtics game as both a milestone and a reminder that even big nights can come with a hiccup. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Let Opening Night Slip Away For One Frustrating Reason
For a while, it looked like Boston had done plenty to make the season opener routine. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to watch it evaporate in a 121-113 loss that turned into a frustrating reminder that early-season games can flip fast when the energy and execution slip.
The second half was where everything tightened up on Bostons side, with offensive struggles and defensive lapses opening the door for Detroit to keep chipping away. Joe Mazzulla and Derrick White both pointed to the momentum swings and the Celtics inability to stabilize things, while the Pistons made the most of their perimeter shooting and second-chance opportunities to turn a night that felt under control into one Boston will want back. [Read more 🡒]
Mitchell Robinson Put Immediate Pressure On His Celtics Debut
Mitchell Robinsons first regular-season run with the Celtics offered a quick reminder that the adjustment period can start immediately. In his debut against the Pistons, Robinson was already measuring his own performance against the standard Boston expects, and he made clear afterward that he knows the next step is to bring a higher level of competition every night.
The early takeaway was less about the box score than the tone Robinson set for himself after the game. He pointed to his rebounding as the area that bothered him most, while also saying he tweaked his ankle but expects to be okay, leaving Boston with a clearer picture of both the physical and competitive demands that come with adding him to the mix. [Read more 🡒]