Haliburton returns to where it all stopped: “I thought it would be harder”
Tyrese Haliburton returns to Oklahoma City, where he tore his Achilles in the 2025 Finals. He scores 24 points in 18 minutes and opens up about his emotions
The last time Tyrese Haliburton played at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, he left the court with a torn Achilles and his dream of winning an NBA championship gone in a matter of moments.
It was Game 7 of the 2025 Finals. Sixteen months later, the Indiana Pacers point guard returned to the same floor, this time for a Preseason game against the Thunder. And if anyone expected an emotionally difficult night, Haliburton himself was the first to be surprised by how things unfolded.
I thought coming back here would bring up stronger emotions. I don’t know if it would be sadness, fear or something else. But once the game started, everything felt normal. Even during shootaround I felt like I always do. It wasn’t even close to being as difficult as I imagined
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton scores 24 points in 18 minutes against OKC
Judging by what happened on the court, returning to Oklahoma City did not seem to create any particular problems for his game either.
Haliburton finished the first half with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in just 18 minutes, shooting an excellent 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from three.
After about ten minutes, he had already scored 19 points, including a three-pointer from more than 30 feet. The numbers tell the story of a player determined to make up for lost time after missing the entire 2025/26 season.
The Pacers eventually lost 114-112 in overtime, but the result inevitably took a back seat to the performance of their leader.
Haliburton, who had missed the previous Preseason game with an ankle issue, explained that he wanted to face his return to that arena right away instead of putting it off any longer.
I wanted to get it out of the way, face it and put it behind me
Tyrese Haliburton
“It feels good to see the results of all the work”
For Haliburton, this is not just about scoring points or handing out assists again. After such a serious injury and an entire season spent away from the court, even getting back to the simplest routines of NBA life carries a different meaning.
It feels good. I’ve worked really hard. It’s been a long 16 months, or however long it’s been. It feels really good to see the results of all that work, and hopefully I can keep getting better
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton’s return therefore represents much more than an individual comeback: it is the first step toward trying to bring the Pacers back to the level they reached before his injury.
And perhaps the most encouraging sign of the night was not even the 24 points. It was the fact that Haliburton returned to the site of his worst NBA memory and, once the game started, thought only about playing basketball.