Pacers off to New Orleans to tip off season against Pelicans

We made it! The NBA season tips off on Tuesday while the Pacers are set to start their hopefully healthy 2026-27 campaign on the road Wednesday.

Oct 20, 2026

Happy NBA Opening Day!

Yes, day. NBC is trying to turn the start of the NBA season into an all day (almost) affair, so they are starting with a businessman's special in Detroit at 3 p.m. ET, where the Pistons will host the Celtics in the first of three intriguing matchups. That game will be followed at 7 p.m. ET by the 76ers and Knicks at MSG before ending the night in San Antonio at 9:30 p.m. ET where the Thunder will rekindle their rivalry with the Spurs. If only all six could somehow take a loss.

For Pacers fans, these are all just JV games before the Varsity plays on Wednesday when the Pacers visit the Pelicans for what should be a relatively healthy start to the season for the Blue and Gold pending some TJ McConnell minutes here and there.

The Pacers low profile opener will present plenty of problems considering the Pelicans have plenty of talent in search of direction and with the revised lottery rules wiping out tanking incentives they will certainly be a problem on any given night all season if actually trying to win. What a concept!

We know Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray and even ol’ friend Bennedict Mathurin off the bench, can cause problems for any opponent. Murray should be a key player in making that starting unit run. He sat out most of preseason with a balky toe but is planning to play in the opener. Mathurin averaged 17 minutes and over 9 points per game in preseason, so those numbers should bump up with regular season rotations in play.

Benny will have to earn those minutes considering additional talent on the roster and new coach Jamahl Mosely’s emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. The Pels starting group is long and athletic which can create matchup problems against any team if they can come together as a team defensively. The preseason results were certainly promising.

But enough about the problems the Pels present. The Pacers have a little talent to run out there, as well. With the regular starting unit back together plus Ivica Zubac, the squad appears more than ready to pick up the regular season pace and remind hoop heads how good and tough this team can be.

While Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are just entering their prime, they feel like savvy vets at this point paired with Pascal Siakam and Zubac who both define savvy veteran status. This group should be pushing the pace on the Pels in an effort to speed them up and test how strong that new defensive disposition in New Orleans really is over 48 minutes. All of the talking is done, it is time to show out in a season where wins over most, if not all 82 games will have to be earned.

All of the Pacers games will be broadcast on DAZN this season which included the preseason games that are also available to rewatch quite easily which worked out well for me to catch up after attending a wedding for one game and then college football on Friday. The home opener against the Mavericks on Friday will also be broadcast locally on CBS4 as part of 15 games scheduled to be shown one of two local sister stations, FOX59 and CBS4. \

The first injury report will alter the Pacers rotation with both TJ McConnell and Aaron Nesmith expected to be out due to hamstring injuries. That bumps Kelly Oubre Jr. to the starting lineup while Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown will likely be available, if needed.

Requisite hype video…