AMES, Iowa - The Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves in the middle of something far bigger than a typical preseason stop on Monday night, and the center of it all was Tyrese Haliburton.
For the first time in 472 days, Haliburton stepped onto the floor for an official game with the Indiana Pacers, returning from the torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The setting made the night feel even more personal: a preseason game at Iowa State, the school Haliburton has long wanted the Pacers to visit.
“Iowa State holds a special place in my heart,” Haliburton said the morning before his team's 123-112 win over the Timberwolves. "Very appreciative of both organizations for allowing this to happen.
I think it's kind of poetic. Obviously I haven’t played an organized game of basketball a year and a half and there's nowhere I'd rather come back to.
So it'll be fun.”
It turned into more than fun. Ames showed up like it was hosting something much bigger than an exhibition, with the crowd locked in from the opening moments and dialed into every possession. The Pacers, meanwhile, looked a lot like the team that reached the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago, pushing pace and turning it into efficient offense.
The Timberwolves came into the night understanding exactly what kind of atmosphere they were walking into. Chris Finch said before the game that the setting appealed to him right away.
“I particularly love these kind of non-traditional NBA cities," Wolves head coach Chris Finch noted before the game. "We’ve come to Des Moines to support our G League setup.
When they asked us to come down here and support what they were doing with Tyrese, we said yes right away. And I think it's good for the guys.
I think it's fun, it kinda keeps it fresh."
That energy carried over inside the building, where the fans treated the night like it mattered. Terrence Shannon Jr. said the environment felt familiar from his college days.
"It was dope," said Terrence Shannon Jr., who won both of his collegiate games against Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. "It was packed in there.
Just like I remember playing there when I was at Texas Tech. It was dope.
Good fans. It was good for us."
Anthony Edwards drew plenty of attention from the crowd as well. Drafted in 2020 alongside Haliburton and new teammate LaMelo Ball, Edwards hit four three-pointers and got louder reactions each time the ball dropped through the net.
Beyond the scene and the return, the game also highlighted a connection the Timberwolves now have to Haliburton through Donte DiVincenzo’s rehab. DiVincenzo tore his Achilles a few months ago and has already spoken with Haliburton, along with other recent NBA players who have dealt with the same injury, about what the recovery process looks like.
DiVincenzo may not get the same kind of homecoming Haliburton received, since he plans to return to the court this season, but seeing Haliburton come back healthy still mattered. He has stayed close to his teammates throughout the process and is traveling with the team on its preseason road trip from Milwaukee to Ames and then to Miami.
For Ayo Dosunmu and the rest of the Wolves, Haliburton’s return served as a reminder of the one thing that matters most.
“Health is always most important for anybody in the NBA," Dosunmu said. "I always pray for health and safety. So for [Haliburton] to come back and be able to play again the game that he loves to play, that’s all God.”
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