Victor Wembanyama, Spurs seek sweep of Pacers in Paris

The San Antonio Spurs will look to build on their most impressive offensive showing in two seasons Saturday when they square off against the Indiana Pacers for the second of two meetings in the NBA's Paris Games.

The Spurs rolled to a 140-110 win Thursday in the series opener, outscoring Indiana 45-23 in the third quarter after leading by just three at halftime. It was San Antonio's most points in a game this season and its largest output since scoring 142 in an overtime win over Sacramento on April 2, 2023.

The series in the French capital has been a happy homecoming so far for Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs' 21-year-old superstar center.

Wembanyama provided a plethora of highlights and winning plays in Thursday's game, when he scored 30 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, distributed six assists and blocked five shots in 32 minutes of court time.

Wembanyama even toyed with Indiana a bit, tossing a pass to himself off the glass to produce a dunk at the 10:11 mark of the fourth.

San Antonio carried a 105-80 lead into the final quarter and never let the Pacers get closer than 18 points the rest of the way. Devin Vassell added 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 20 and Jeremy Sochan posted 13 for the Spurs, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

"I was proud of our effort over the course of the game," Barnes said. "Defensively the last couple games, we haven't been our best, so I thought we were able to put together 48 minutes."

San Antonio shot 60.4 percent from the floor in the victory and went 18 of 36 from beyond the arc.

"We're just trying to play good basketball," San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson said. "We have lost some games that we feel like we shouldn't have. Played some really good stretches of basketball and have absolutely collapsed in a short amount of time and probably have cost us some games. We're just trying to put together more consistent minutes and stretches of the 48."

Indiana faltered in the second half and shot just 45.4 percent for the game. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points while Pascal Siakam tallied 18 points, Myles Turner hit for 14 and Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin added 13 apiece.

"I don't know if we've ever given up that many points in a quarter," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Even when we were bad on defense, giving up 45 points in one quarter, it's alarming, but so you got to give the Spurs a lot of credit. They played at a high level, led by Victor, who was sensational. Their shot-making was great.

"We've just got to be much, much better."

The Pacers had a two-game winning streak snapped. The loss on Thursday was just their second in their past 10 contests. Indiana had allowed more than 115 points just once in its previous nine games and had given up 40 or more in a quarter just once all season until Thursday.

--Field Level Media