Photo Credit:Associated Press
With Victor Wembanyama (21) living up to expectations, the San Antonio Spurs dominated the Indiana Pacers at the Accor Arena in the first of two matches of the NBA Paris Games.
The atmosphere was sometimes subdued, sometimes excellent Thursday saw the first edition of the two games scheduled for the NBA Paris Games between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers at the Accor Arena in Paris.
It was an opportunity to gauge the popularity of a certain Victor Wembanyama, the star of this week's action in Paris but also, above all, to witness a great game of basketball. It didn't necessarily get off to a good start, even if the crowd were warming up to Wembanyama's skillset. Instead, it was Tyrese Haliburton who controlled the tempo at the start of the game, whether shooting or passing.
The Pacers were the first to take control, before the Spurs' first burst of heat, led by Wembanyama, of course. A 7-0 run restored the balance of power but it was Devin Vassell who was the man for Spurs in the first quarter. Obi Toppin then came off the Pacers bench to score no less than 11 points in a row in the first quarter. It was 30-29 to the Spurs after 12 minutes, a clearly offensive game.
But there was a sudden drop in tension at the start of the second quarter, with poor execution from the Spurs, before a big highlight from 'Wemby' reignited the crowd. A facilitator for Spurs, the Frenchman set the pace and his team found some fluidity. Nevertheless, neither team was making the effort defensively, and Haliburton took advantage of the situation to showcase his smooth game and keep the Pacers in the hunt.
In this attacking game, San Antonio had the upper hand at the break (60-57), with Wembanyama already scoring 15 points. Indiana, however,
seemed to be coming back with different intentions but they failed to put them into practice. Harrison Barnes took matters into his own hands to put the Spurs back in the lead, and Wemby made the lead double figures for the first time. nAfter a Vassell steal and a trip to the line, San Antonio led by 20 points with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Indiana had totally exploded in the air in the third quarter, in which the Spurs had scored no less than 45 points. At a 25-plus lead for San Antonio, the suspense seemed totally extinguished. But that wasn't enough to stop Wembanyama from putting on a show to break up any semblance of a Pacers run. San Antonio's victory was no longer in doubt, with second-stringers Barnes and Vassell doing an impeccable job.
Wemby could leave with a sense of achievement, 30 points and 11 rebounds in the bag and a good old thrashing that was not expected. But so be it, the Pacers never came out of the locker room at half-time and that cost them the game. In the end, the Spurs won 140-110, not a victory for the sake of it but a victory to prove that, after a slightly less successful period, they are still in the playoff race.
What's more, despite the jetlag and the demands made of him, Wembanyama knew how to live up to expectations. We'll find out for sure on Saturday, and let's hope the Pacers manage to play a real game for 48 minutes this time.
