Overview
- The Pacers announced their 2026-27 schedule on Friday, Aug. 14, naming Oct. 21 at New Orleans as the regular-season opener and Oct. 23 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against Dallas as the home opener.
- Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals and missed the 2025-26 season, is expected to return next season and is widely seen as the team’s central figure.
- Haliburton publicly said he was “shocked” that his first game back would be on the road and not on national television during a recent Numbers on the Board podcast appearance.
- The Pacers’ schedule includes an international regular-season game on Nov. 7 in Mexico City against the Denver Nuggets and 11 nationally televised appearances spread across NBC/Peacock, ESPN, Amazon Prime and Peacock/NBCSN, with the team’s first national TV slot set for Oct. 28 versus Philadelphia.
- Indiana’s 19-63 finish last season without Haliburton makes his return important for ticket sales and team morale, and the lack of an early national window could change if the Pacers play well or if networks reshuffle their broadcast lineup.