Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Indiana Pacers – Game #42
Victor Wembanyama will be playing in front of friendly fans in France (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will play their first of two games in Paris, France, this afternoon. The Spurs (19-22) take on the Indiana Pacers (24-19) in both games, with the second contest taking place on Saturday morning.
San Antonio is riding a three-game losing streak. They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies twice at home and then went on the road and fell to the Miami Heat. This is the first time all season that the Spurs are three games below .500. Overall, the Silver and Black have lost six of their last seven games.
The Pacers, on the other hand, are red hot. Indiana has won two games in a row and eight of their last nine. Their only loss during that stretch was against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are atop the NBA standings.
Pascal Siakam leads the way for the Pacers with averages of 20.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Tyrese Haliburton averages 17.9 points and 8.8 assists per game.
Homecoming for Victor Wembanyama, Sidy Cissoko
Everyone knows that Victor Wembanyama is from Paris but he’s not the only Spurs player from that area of the world. It’s also a homecoming for Sidy Cissoko, a backup forward who has spent most of his time with the Austin Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
There’s good news on the injury front for the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan, who has missed the last five games due to a back injury, says that the plan is for him to play today against the Pacers. Of San Antonio’s last eight games, he has been forced to sit out six of the games due to the same injury.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
We can safely assume that acting head coach Mitch Johnson will start Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. If Jeremy Sochan is indeed ready to suit up, he’s the most likely choice to be the fifth starter. However, there’s a chance that Johnson decides to keep rolling with rookie Stephon Castle as a starter.
Castle was the starter in the five games that Sochan missed and he averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists while hitting 47.1% of his shots from the field.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Pacers
The Pacers are favored by three points and the over/under is 229.5 points. The smart money is on the over. Expect Victor Wembanyama to try to put on a show in front of his hometown fans — which should keep the scoreboard busy.