October 22, 2026 at 6:03 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Pacers hold off Pelicans 123-120 in season opener

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Indiana won a three-point game in New Orleans on opening night of 2026-27, with Haliburton's return and a thinned-out roster as the backdrop.

NEW ORLEANS — Indiana opened its 2026-27 season with a 123-120 win over the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday. It was the first game of the year for both teams, and it stayed within a possession or two of tying for long enough that neither bench could relax.

The Pacers arrived with a lighter roster than they would have chosen. T.J. McConnell and Aaron Nesmith were both dealing with hamstring injuries, and six Pacers appeared on the injury report. Forward Johnny Furphy, recovering from an ACL tear, was out. That kind of list cuts into a rotation before the opening tip, and it made a road win in a hostile building harder to count on. The night also carried Tyrese Haliburton's return after he missed all of last season with an Achilles tear.

New Orleans had its own questions to answer. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III are the forwards the Pelicans are built around, with younger players filling in around them. They came in after a 26-win season, and oddsmakers and preview writers were openly unconvinced that the pieces fit. Losing by three at home on opening night won't settle that argument either way. It does mean the Pelicans spent a night close enough to the margin to feel they let one get away.

Indiana also had a new look up front, with Ivica Zubac added to the frontcourt. The Pacers needed that extra size on a night when the guard and wing rotation was short-handed. They left New Orleans 1-0 after a game that stayed tight to the end, which is a fair way to start a year in which they have plenty to prove.

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