Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, Kings’ Domantas Sabonis face former teams

A rivalry created by a trade scripts a new chapter Sunday when Tyrese Haliburton returns to his old home with the Indiana Pacers to face Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings.Haliburton played his first 109 games with the Kings and Sabonis 319 of his first 400 with the Pacers before they were the headliners in a blockbuster trade between the franchises on Feb. 8, 2022.The Pacers also received Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson in the six-player swap. Along with Sabonis, the Kings imported Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a second-round pick.Haliburton has played four times against the Kings since the trade, making just one return visit. That came on Nov. 30, 2022, when he had nine points and 10 assists in a loss.Haliburton, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Kings, has gone 1-3 against Sacramento since the deal.Sabonis also has faced his former team four times since the trade, going 2-2. He put up a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Pacers’ visit last season, a 126-121 Indiana win accomplished without Haliburton, who sat out because of a strained left hamstring.Both players enter the encounter in top form, but only one team does.Haliburton has recorded three consecutive double-doubles, leading Indiana to wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.He took only 3-pointers in Indiana’s most recent success, going 4 for 9 in a 120-111 win at Phoenix on Thursday. He noted afterward that he’s not the reason for the club’s recent upward trend.