Tyrese Haliburton returned more than 16 months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon and steered the Indiana Pacers to a 123-120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on the second opening night of the 2026-27 NBA season, played on Wednesday 21 October US time (Thursday morning 22 October in Vietnam). On the same 11-game slate, Anthony Edwards scored 45 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Giannis Antetokounmpo's new team, the Miami Heat, 131-106, and the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-116, according to NBA.com.
Haliburton's long road back
A timeline compiled by KBVN+ from the AP report published on NBA.com:
- June 2025: Haliburton tears his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City, having made three 3-pointers in seven minutes.
- 2025-26: he misses the entire season. In his last full season he averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists.
- 21 October 2026: his first real game since the injury brings 23 points (13 in the fourth quarter) and 12 assists in nearly 34 minutes.
With the game tied at 116-116, he drove past Trey Murphy for a layup, then beat Herb Jones for a three-point play on the next trip, and Indiana never trailed again. The 26-year-old broke down in tears during a courtside interview. “It feels like it just took forever to get here,” he said. Coach Rick Carlisle added: “Ty came back in and he had enough in the tank, and it was spectacular.”
Edwards outduels Giannis, Wizards stars click
Edwards had 45 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes, hitting 9 threes, the most points by anyone in a Wolves season opener, NBA.com reported. It was the second time he has scored at least 40 in an opener. He and new backcourt partner LaMelo Ball combined for 14 threes and were plus-43 together. “Me and him gonna be like best friends,” Edwards said.
Giannis scored 35 but got little help. Miami shot 8-for-33 from deep and lost the offensive rebound battle 17-4, while Bam Adebayo had 15 points and finished minus-28. “Our effort has to be better,” Giannis said. “It starts with me.”
In Washington, Anthony Davis posted 34 points and 12 rebounds in his Wizards debut, tying Antawn Jamison's 2004 mark for points in a franchise debut. Davis, who said “It’s been nine months since I played a real game”, had not played since January with the Dallas Mavericks. Trae Young added 20 points and 13 assists, and the Wizards won the fourth quarter 38-23.
Scores and numbers
| Game | Score | Standout |
|---|---|---|
| Pacers beat Pelicans | 123-120 | Haliburton 23 points, 12 assists |
| Timberwolves beat Heat | 131-106 | Edwards 45 points, Giannis 35 points |
| Wizards beat Bucks | 128-116 | Davis 34 points, 12 rebounds; Young 20 points, 13 assists |
NBA.com's numbers column also highlighted Ty Jerome's career-high 45 points in Memphis' win over Utah, Portland's 21-0 start before Phoenix scored, and Toronto's 43 transition points in a win over Chicago.
What comes next
According to NBA.com's schedule notes, on Friday 23 October US time (the morning of Saturday 24 October in Vietnam) the Timberwolves will visit the Orlando Magic, the Heat will host the Detroit Pistons and the Wizards will host the Raptors. Washington rookie AJ Dybantsa missed the opener with a sprained left ankle.
The first opening night, featuring Pistons-Celtics, 76ers-Knicks and Thunder-Spurs, is covered in our NBA 2026-27 opening night report.