The Indiana Pacers and the New Orleans Pelicans battled in a seesaw affair in their season opener at Smoothie King Center on Wednesday. The Pacers went on a surge in the fourth quarter and pulled off a come-from-behind win, 123-120.

Tyrese Haliburton was terrific in his much-awaited return from his Achilles injury, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 12 assists. Haliburton scored eight of Indiana’s 10 points in a 90-second stretch in the final period to seize control.

The two-time All-Star also had a heated exchange with Derik Queen as they were walking to their respective benches in the fourth quarter. They were separated before anything escalated. Haliburton was called for a technical foul.

Tyrese Haliburton was given a technical foul for this altercation involving Derik Queen 👀 pic.twitter.com/WdgE8mypO2

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 22, 2026

Queen had a solid outing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench. He is expected to take the next step after showing promise in his rookie year.

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The 21-year-old Queen has a good sense of humor and a fun-loving personality, but he showed that he will never back down when he is on the floor, even against an established veteran like Haliburton.

The Pacers and the Pelicans will return to action on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Utah Jazz, respectively.

More details to come.