Tyrese Haliburton Ruled Out With Ankle Injury, MRI Brings Encouraging News

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle ruled Tyrese Haliburton out before Saturday's preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Carlisle said Haliburton sustained "a mild tweak of the right ankle" on Wednesday, when Indiana opened the preseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Iowa State.

"He was limited yesterday in practice," Carlisle said. "Did an MRI and everything looks really good. The Achilles looks great. Hopeful he practices Monday and plays Tuesday."

Tuesday is a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. ET. If Haliburton is not ready by then, Carlisle said the Pacers will get him ready for their preseason finale against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Saturday's game against Atlanta was the second of Indiana's four exhibitions.

The Pacers beat the Timberwolves 123-112 on Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum. Haliburton played 16 minutes, all of them in the first half, and finished with 7 points and 6 assists on 3-of-8 shooting. He added 2 blocks and 1 steal.

He turned the ball over on Indiana's first possession, then hit a 15-footer for the Pacers' first points of the night. Aaron Nesmith led Indiana with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Jay Huff scored 16, and Ben Sheppard added 13.

Haliburton tore his right Achilles on June 22, 2025, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder, 472 days before Wednesday's tip-off in Ames. He missed the entire 2025-26 season. Indiana's 19-63 finish was the worst in franchise history.

Haliburton played at Iowa State from 2018 to 2020. Before Wednesday's game, he bought tickets for the student section, and the university held a lottery for students who wanted to attend. The Ames game was originally set for the 2025 preseason and got pushed back a year.

Haliburton said at the Pacers' media day on Sept. 28 that he was healthy and would have no restrictions this season. Carlisle said then that decisions on Haliburton would be made in consultation with the training staff.

"At this point, it really appears that he has made a great recovery and a great return to play," Carlisle explained.

Indiana acquired Ivica Zubac from the LA Clippers at the trade deadline last season. He played five games for the Pacers before being shut down for the rest of the year.

Haliburton said earlier this month that he was already enjoying playing with Zubac, and the two started together Wednesday alongside Andrew Nembhard, Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam.

Haliburton signed a five-year, $244 million extension with the Pacers in July 2023. In 2024-25, his last season before the injury, he averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists.

The Pacers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Their home opener is Oct. 23 against the Dallas Mavericks.