Tyrese Haliburton’s first home game back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse came with a familiar face in the stands: Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever star was on hand to watch Haliburton and the Pacers take on the Dallas Mavericks, adding another chapter to a connection that’s become part of the local basketball scene. Clark’s appearance wasn’t a one-off, either.
Indiana basketball royalty is in the building as Fever star Caitlin Clark takes in the Pacers' home opener 🙌
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 24, 2026
📸 via @IndianaFever pic.twitter.com/R0WomOTvVh
She’s a regular around Pacers games, and her link to the team runs through her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, who used to work for the Pacers as a player development intern. That connection helped Haliburton and Clark get to know each other, and the two Indiana basketball stars - along with their significant others - have since become close enough to show up for each other at games.
The night itself, though, turned rough for Indiana.
Dallas had built a 77-43 lead by halftime, putting the Pacers in a deep hole as Haliburton played his first game back home after returning from his Achilles injury. The temperature of the game spiked late in the half when Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith delivered a hard foul on Mavericks star Cooper Flagg as Flagg went up for a dunk attempt. Flagg hit the floor hard and appeared to injure his left shoulder.
Naji Marshall quickly stepped in and took exception to the play, getting in Nesmith’s face. Both players were hit with double technicals, while Nesmith was also assessed a Flagrant 1 for the foul.
Flagg was ruled out for the rest of the game after the incident. Before leaving, he had put up 14 points, five rebounds and six assists in 17 minutes.
In Other News...
Pacers Suddenly Face Heat Over One Hard Foul On Cooper Flagg
A hard foul late in the game turned a routine Pacers-Mavericks matchup into something a lot more uncomfortable for Indiana, with Aaron Nesmiths contact sending Cooper Flagg to the floor and leaving the young Dallas forward dealing with a left shoulder injury. Officials reviewed the play and assessed Nesmith a flagrant one, while Flagg went to the locker room and did not return because of soreness.
For Indiana, the result on the scoreboard was only part of the fallout, because the play immediately became the main talking point once Dallas had finished off the win. Nesmith now sits at the center of the criticism after the sequence spread quickly on social media, and the Pacers are left waiting to see how the incident plays into the broader conversation around a physical game that got a lot more attention than anyone in the building probably wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Have A Real TJ McConnell Decision To Make
With TJ McConnell still rehabbing a hamstring injury, Rick Carlisle turned to Quenton Jackson as the backup point guard and got a useful answer in the Pacers latest game. Jackson, who has G League experience and came into this season on a two-way deal, handled the role well enough to draw praise from Carlisle, giving Indiana a little more confidence in a spot that suddenly matters more than it did a week ago.
The bigger question is what happens when McConnell is ready to return. Indiana does not have many obvious alternatives behind the lead guards, and players such as Braden Smith and Kobe Brown are not yet ready or suited to take on that job full time. Jacksons showing has at least made this a real conversation for Carlisle and the Pacers, with the coming weeks likely to determine whether this is a temporary patch or something closer to a new order in the backcourt. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Loss Took A Dark Turn After Aaron Nesmith Hit Cooper Flagg
A late-season game that already had a bit of edge to it turned downright testy when Aaron Nesmith wrapped up Cooper Flagg on a fastbreak dunk attempt, drawing a flagrant foul and setting off a brief confrontation that spilled into technicals for Nesmith and Naji Marshall. The Pacers and Mavericks had been trading physical plays and sharp words before that sequence, but the tone shifted in a hurry once Flagg hit the floor and the officials had to sort through the aftermath.
For Indiana, the bigger concern is the status of Flagg, who was left with left shoulder soreness and will be evaluated over the coming days. Even in a game full of heated exchanges and whistles, that kind of collision tends to linger beyond the final buzzer, and it leaves the Pacers waiting to see whether the hard foul turns into a more serious issue for one of the games young headliners. [Read more 🡒]