The Indiana Fever have ruled out Tyrese Haliburton for their second preseason game on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Haliburton suffered a right ankle injury in his preseason debut on Wednesday in Iowa State against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished with seven points, six rebounds, a steal and two blocks.
It was a bit concerning since Haliburton is coming off a right Achilles tear injury, which caused him to miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season.
Pacers Get Good Haliburton News
Speaking to reporters on Saturday in his pregame media availability, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared an update on Haliburton’s injury.
Carlisle revealed that Haliburton suffered just a minor ankle injury and was able to practice in a limited capacity.
“He was limited yesterday in practice,” Carlisle said via Alex Golden of Sports Illustrated. “He’s doing better each day. They did an MRI of this, and everything looks really good.”
The coach also answered any concerns about Haliburton’s Achilles.
“The Achilles looks great,” Carlisle added. “All the doctors looked at it and it’s just gonna be a matter of him working through it.”
“He was limited yesterday in practice,” Carlisle said. “Did an MRI and everything
Haliburton will return to full practice on Monday and will be re-evaluated if he’s healthy enough to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
And if he’s not cleared to play, Carlisle assured that Haliburton will likely play on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“We’re hopeful that he practices Monday and plays Tuesday,” Carlisle said. “If he’s not ready to play Tuesday, then we’ll get him ready for Friday.”
The two-time All-Star is in attendance for tonight’s game, taking part in the pregame warmups inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Haliburton on His First Game Since Achilles Injury
Speaking to ESPN after his first game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton opened up about the feelings he felt.
It was even more special since Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves was at the Hilton Coliseum inside Haliburton’s alma mater, Iowa State.
“It’s the first game, but it’s got to slow down,” Haliburton said. “There was just a lot of adrenaline. I was hyped to be out there, excited, but I just got to slow down a little bit. It’ll happen with time.
“The only way to really replicate that is game reps against other guys,” he added. “And that’s what that was. So really excited about it. There’s a ton of improvement that there is to be made on my end and on our team’s end, but just excited to be back on the floor.”
The Pacers will open the regular season on the road at the Smoothie King Center on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Indiana Pacers Get Good Tyrese Haliburton News After Right Ankle Scare