Haliburton Back in the Starting Five as Pacers Beat Timberwolves 123-112 in Preseason

Tyrese Haliburton started and ran the Indiana offense for 16 minutes in a 123-112 preseason win over Minnesota, with Jarace Walker handling the heaviest workload.

MIN @ IND Oct 7, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC

Tyrese Haliburton was back in the Indiana lineup Wednesday night, starting for the Pacers in a 123-112 preseason win over the Timberwolves. His night was short and tidy: 16 minutes, 7 points, 6 assists. In October that is the whole assignment. The Pacers got him on the floor, let him run things, and kept the evening from turning into a test.

The heavier load went to Jarace Walker, who played 28 minutes, the most of anyone on either side, and spent them as a playmaker. He scored 7 and grabbed 5 rebounds, and his 10 assists were the most in the building. Indiana kept bringing bodies off the bench, and the scoring came from all over. Aaron Nesmith hit for 19 in 16 minutes, Jay Huff added 16, and Ben Sheppard had 13. Nobody in a Pacers uniform needed a big night, and a lot of them had a decent one.

Minnesota had its share of name players, though they did not stay long. Anthony Edwards scored 19 in 20 minutes, Jaden McDaniels had 16, and LaMelo Ball put up 14 points and 7 assists. Rudy Gobert pulled down 9 rebounds in 19 minutes and Joan Beringer had 8 in the same stretch, so the Wolves were not short on size. Jonathan Kuminga managed only 2 points, and the starters never strung together enough to make the Pacers uncomfortable.

The NBA posted the opening quarter as its own highlight package, which says the game drew some attention even with nothing riding on it. What mattered in Indianapolis came after that quarter: Haliburton was in the starting five, the rotation was long, and the Pacers won by 11.

Sources

All game reports