Indiana Pacers Snubbed from Primetime Games

Indiana has only been scheduled for one featured NBA game so far

Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NBA schedule is being released in three segments this season: Opening day, opening week, NBA Cup games, and Christmas Day games. After the first two days, the Indiana Pacers were only chosen for one primetime game on November 13, 2026 against the New York Knicks.

It is rare for a team that finished 19-63 the previous season to expect a significant amount of primetime games. However, this Pacers team is the anomaly. The runners-up of the 2025 NBA Finals didn't get the primetime spots they earned for the 2025-26 season and as the team battled health and found themselves at the bottom of the standings, their primetime games were flexed and other successful teams were put into those spots.

Indiana has a show-stopping superstar in Tyrese Haliburton making his return from the most horrific season-ending injury anyone can imagine, and the league is hesitant to give the small-market Pacers the biggest national games because of the uncertainty surrounding him.

It is unfortunate that the injury happened, but even more so that the league seems to have forgotten how special the 'point god' of today's NBA really is. During the 2025 postseason, Haliburton had a run that we have never seen before in NBA history.

May 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Haliburton hit a game-winning layup over Giannis Antetokounmpo --and their division rival the Milwaukee Bucks-- to clinch the series in five games. Then, the Pacers' superstar went into Cleveland against the No. 1 seed in the East, and ripped their hearts out with a stepback three over Ty Jerome to steal game two and take total control of the series, which they eventually won in five games.

Then the Pacers had a rematch from the previous postseason with their archrival, the New York Knicks. Haliburton hit the most insane shot in Pacers franchise history when he buried a stepback two that hit the heel of the rim, soared into the rafters and dropped perfectly through the net. This sent the game into overtime and the Pacers walked out with a series-shifting win and won the series on their homecourt in six games.

Surely Haliburton couldn't this again, right? Wrong. Haliburton and the Pacers trailed the entire game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, until Obi Toppin soared to the air to grab the defensive rebound and handed the ball off to to Mr. Clutch himself, and watched the master do what he does best. Cason Wallace stood no chance defending Haliburton's pull-up jumper, and with 0.3 left on the clock, Indiana had their first lead of the game 111-110 and stole one a way from the heavy favorites.

Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0), forward Aaron Nesmith (center) and forward Obi Toppin (1) react after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And if all those insane endings weren't enough of a reminder to show you why the league is sleeping on the Pacers as a terrific primetime team, go back to that Game 7 of the NBA Finals and remember what Haliburton was doing in the first six minutes of action. He was drilling deep three-point shots and talking trash to a fan who was running his mouth.

This is a superstar the league needs to showcase more, and what makes him such a loveable player is the joy he plays with. No star in the league has had as many big moments in a short amount of time that Tyrese has, and he makes the Pacers one of the most enjoyable watches in the NBA.

After Indiana lost the NBA Finals, people gave the Thunder their flowers for winning the title, but more people were enamored with what Indiana had done and how special that run was. Indiana was the biggest story despite not winning the title and it will forever be the biggest 'what if' in Pacers franchise history.

The Pacers incredible 2025 playoff run was swept under the rug when making the NBA's primetime schedule, and when you combine the horrific season they had last year, with how small of a market they're in, you can understand why the league was hesitant. But it will be their loss when Indiana once again has some of the most must-watch games on NBA League Pass, and national viewers are stuck watching the same 3 teams face each other in the Eastern Conference.

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