Tyrese Haliburton returned to the court for the first time in more than 16 months Wednesday night, helping the Indiana Pacers defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-112 in their preseason opener at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Haliburton started for Indiana and played 16 minutes in his first game since suffering a torn Achilles during the 2025 NBA Finals. He finished with seven points, six assists, two steals and two blocks, shooting 3-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range.
The All-Star guard also had one turnover and made an immediate impact as a playmaker. He assisted on Aaron Nesmith’s first-quarter basket before later setting up Nesmith for multiple three-pointers and finding Pascal Siakam for scores.
Haliburton scored his first points on a 15-foot running pull-up in the opening quarter. He later hit a 26-foot three-pointer with 1:09 remaining in the second quarter, tying the game at 56-56, before adding a five-foot jumper late in the half.
Indiana led 32-27 after the first quarter but entered halftime trailing 65-61. The Pacers regained control in the third quarter, outscoring Minnesota 38-26 to take a 99-91 lead into the final period.
The Timberwolves briefly cut the deficit to one point early in the fourth quarter, but Indiana responded with a 7-0 run that included a Ben Sheppard three-pointer to extend the lead to 106-98. The Pacers maintained control from there.
Aaron Nesmith led Indiana with 19 points, going 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Jay Huff added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, while Jarace Walker recorded seven points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Braden Smith contributed 13 points and five assists, and Jalen Slawson added four points, five rebounds, 10 assists and two steals.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 19 points, while Jaden McDaniels scored 16 points and LaMelo Ball had 14 points and seven assists. Rudy Gobert finished with seven points and nine rebounds, while Jonathan Kuminga scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
