WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026 — Some nights the preseason gives you box scores. Wednesday night gave you a homecoming 472 days in the making. Tyrese Haliburton walked back onto an NBA court for the first time since tearing his Achilles in the 2025 Finals — at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, his alma mater, in front of the student sections he bought out himself. Around the league, the rest of the five-game slate refused to be background noise: the Bucks erased an 18-point halftime deficit in Oklahoma City, Orlando and Memphis went down to the final minute, Chicago's new era opened with a Bulls win over the Suns, and Damian Lillard's new-look Blazers held off a skeleton-crew Warriors squad in Portland. None of it counts. All of it mattered.
Pacers 123, Timberwolves 112: Haliburton's back
It was the only thing that could make an October preseason game feel like a coronation. Tyrese Haliburton, sidelined since tearing his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, played his first professional basketball game in 472 days on Wednesday night — at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, where he starred for Iowa State from 2018 to 2020. The Pacers beat the Timberwolves 123-112, but the score was the second story.
Haliburton played 16 minutes and finished with 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting (1-of-3 from three), 6 assists, a steal and 2 blocks. He scored Indiana's first two points of the night, drilled a three off an Ivica Zubac screen late in the first half, and twice found Aaron Nesmith in the corner for transition threes. The passing — his superpower — looked like it never left. The jumper is still finding its way back, and he admitted the adrenaline was running hot all first half. He barely played in the second half, which was always the plan for a first night back.
The setting did the heavy lifting. Haliburton bought out the student sections at both ends of the arena, and students started lining up outside at 11 p.m. the night before. First look, 472 days in the making: the vision is there, the legs are there, and the Pacers have their engine back.
Nesmith led the Pacers with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting (4-of-6 from deep) in just 16 minutes; Jarace Walker ran the second unit with 10 assists against a single turnover; and Zubac — still finding his fit after last season's midseason trade — threw down a behind-the-back dunk off a Walker feed in the second quarter. Minnesota started its expected opening five of LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert.
Bucks 128, Thunder 126: the kids erase 18
The Thunder played their real rotation for a half and it looked like a mercy rule: Oklahoma City shot 60 percent from the floor, piled up 25 assists on 31 first-half baskets, led by as many as 24, and took an 82-64 lead into halftime at Paycom Center. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed 18 minutes to go 5-for-5 for 17 points and 5 assists; Jalen Williams went 8-of-11 for 16 with 6 assists and 2 steals. Then the Bucks made it a game, and then some.
The group that opened the second half — Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. — halved the deficit against Oklahoma City's reserves, and Milwaukee's second and third units finished the job. Rookie guard Brayden Burries threw down a ferocious dunk to tie it with 64 seconds left, then sank two free throws to put the Bucks up four with 7.4 seconds to play. Cormac Ryan hit the go-ahead basket, and former Thunder prospect Ousmane Dieng sealed it with two free throws of his own with four seconds left: 128-126.
Turner led the Bucks with 19 points in 21 minutes; Ware had 18 points and 12 rebounds in a team-high 24 minutes; Burries scored 16 off the bench; Dieng finished with 8 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Herro (13), Jaquez (13) and Rollins (12) all reached double figures. AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and Caris LeVert didn't play — this was the post-Giannis youth movement announcing itself.
The cost: rookie Nate Ament — the No. 13 pick and a key piece of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade return — sprained his left ankle with 91 seconds left in the first half, landing awkwardly after absorbing contact from Cason Wallace on a drive. He stayed in to shoot the free throws, walked straight to the locker room, and was ruled out at halftime. He finished with 3 points and 4 rebounds in roughly 10 minutes. The Bucks will hold their breath until they know more — a core piece of the post-Giannis future can't afford a long absence.
Magic 122, Grizzlies 118: down to the last minute
The best finish of the night was in Memphis. With Orlando's stars long removed and the Grizzlies' starters done after playing into the third quarter, the final minute decided it: down two and needing a stop, Memphis forced a miss — and watched the ball bounce off the rim into a Magic offensive rebound and putback with 13.9 seconds left. That was the ballgame: 122-118.
Paolo Banchero made his preseason debut with 11 points (2-of-7 from the field, 7-of-10 from the line), a rebound and 5 assists in 15 minutes — and looked every bit the table-setter, finding Wendell Carter Jr. at the rim and Desmond Bane in space for pull-up threes. Bane and Franz Wagner got their first run under new head coach Sean Sweeney, and the first look at the new era was encouraging.
For the Grizzlies, Ty Jerome led with 17 points and 4 assists, rookie Cam Boozer — the No. 3 pick, now the face of the post-Ja, post-Jaren franchise — went for 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, GG Jackson added 15, and Zach Edey made his preseason debut with 2 points and 4 rebounds in 10 minutes. Memphis is back at it Friday on the road against the Bulls.
Bulls 124, Suns 117: Chicago's new era opens with a win
The Tiago Splitter era in Chicago opened the way any coach would draw it up: seven Bulls in double figures, a lottery pick leading the way, and a 124-117 win over the Suns at the United Center. Rookie Caleb Wilson topped the scoring with 15 points in Chicago's preseason opener, and the rotations — the real subject of every October game — started to take shape.
Dillon Brooks paced Phoenix with 24 points, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie added 12 apiece, and Devin Booker had 11 on a rough 3-of-14 night. The story that matters for the Suns, though, is the injury: new forward Miles Bridges hurt his right ankle early in the second quarter and did not return. Our full reporting on the Bridges injury has the details. The Suns fall to 0-2 in the preseason and host the defending Western Conference champion Spurs on Oct. 10.
Trail Blazers 123, Warriors 118: Dame's home, Portland's night
The Moda Center got its first look at the new-look Trail Blazers on Wednesday night — a lineup featuring Damian Lillard and Ja Morant — and Portland made it a winning home opener, holding off the Warriors 123-118.
Golden State was running on fumes and depth charts: the second night of a back-to-back after Tuesday's win over the Lakers, and only nine active players suited up. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Georges Niang and Gary Payton II all stayed in the Bay Area. The kids nearly stole it anyway — the Warriors tied it at 90 with 10 minutes to play before Jeremy Sochan's 10 fourth-quarter points slammed the door.
Dalen Terry played 43 minutes for the Warriors and stuffed the sheet with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Second-year guard Miles Kelly led Golden State's scoring off the bench with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, plus 7 boards and 6 assists in 28 minutes. The Warriors get Thursday and Friday off, then host Sacramento on Saturday afternoon at Chase Center.
The injury board
The only real cost of the night: Nate Ament's sprained left ankle in Oklahoma City and Miles Bridges' right ankle in Chicago. Both left and didn't return; both will be re-evaluated, and the Bucks' version matters more given Ament's place in the post-Giannis blueprint. Full details on Bridges are in our dedicated injury story.
What to watch next
The slate keeps rolling: Memphis visits Chicago on Friday (7 p.m. CT, DAZN), Phoenix hosts the Spurs on Oct. 10, and the Warriors get two days off before Saturday afternoon's date with the Kings at Chase Center. And somewhere in Oklahoma City, the Bucks are hoping Nate Ament's ankle is nothing.
For Tuesday's finals — a 45-point first quarter, a 24-point comeback, and a 34-point opening statement — see last night's wrap. And for the full Wednesday morning picture, today's daily roundup has you covered.