Tyrese Haliburton returned from injury on October 21, 2026, finishing with 23 points and 12 assists in 34 minutes as the Pacers beat the Pelicans, and got emotional in his postgame interview about being back on the floor. The discussion has since moved past the return itself: Indiana scored 123 while shooting 73% at the rim despite poor three-point and free-throw shooting, and Herb Jones played just under 17 minutes off the bench and was not on the floor for the final possession. What remains open is how much of the win was the rim efficiency and how the Pelicans' rotation, with Zion Williamson and DeJounte Murray, holds up.