Sunday evening, the Indiana Pacers head to the Frost Bank Center for a drive-up meeting against the San Antonio Spurs. The Pacers were put to the test by the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs surprised the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. Tip-off is at 8:10 p.m. ET. Indiana opens as a road favorite.
Wembanyama dominates the fourth
Entering the game as 11-point underdogs, the San Antonio Spurs and rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama persevered with a 132-118 home victory. Wembanyama had 28 points and 12 rebounds and Devin Vassell also scored 28 points in the huge win.
Wembanyama added seven assists, five blocks and two assists while shooting 9 of 17 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range while playing the entire fourth quarter. He is the first player in NBA history with 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five 3-pointers in a game. “It’s a lot of mental work” Wembanyama said “You know, Kobe (Bryant, star of the Los Angeles Lakers) said that to win a game, you mainly need shots, big shots, because they don’t whistle like any foul. It’s not so much the physical battle. Even though on defense it’s 90 percent effort, but offensively it’s a lot of mental effort. Wembanyama made three straight points in the final three minutes and blocked a Chet Holmgren shot attempt to seal the 12-win Spurs victory. The season ended a long time ago for Spurs, but they have high hopes for next season with Wembanyama running the show.
Pacers launched in New Orleans
The Indiana Pacers served up 48 points in the first quarter to the New Orleans Pelicans, coming out of the building 129-102. After a 123-114 loss at Indianapolis on Wednesday night, the Pelicans were 20 of 22 from the field in the first quarter to take a 48-26 lead. The 90.9% shooting percentage was the highest field goal percentage of any team in a quarter this season and the highest percentage in a first quarter of no no matter which team since Dallas shot 94% in a 2014 game against Utah. “The Pelicans put up historic numbers and we didn’t get a defensive rebound (in the first quarter),” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I haven’t heard of this.”
Isaiah Jackson and Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 13 points each. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner had 12 each. Tyrese Haliburton went scoreless for the first time since November 2021. Haliburton was 0 of 7 from the field in 23 minutes. The Pacers held New Orleans scoreless for more than five minutes during a 23-3 second-half run that cut the lead to 60-49. But the Pelicans regained their footing with a 17-7 run to close the quarter. They will then have the Spurs.
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Victor Wembanyama had a memorable finish against one of the best clubs in the Western Conference, hitting three late triples and blocking a shot to seal the victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He finished just three assists short of another triple-double and contributed with five blocks. Surprisingly, this was the 16th time Wembanyama had recorded five or more swats in a match, and his two-way impact was noticeable from the moment he stepped onto the court. The Spurs aren’t going anywhere this season, but Wembanyama is steadily filling up the stat sheet. He’ll have a huge game again, but don’t expect Spurs to repeat Thursday’s performance. Put them in cover, but the Pacers will win.
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs ATS
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Rating:
The Spurs and Pacers are top five in pace heading into this inter-conference battle. Devin Vassell has done a good job while being San Antonio’s second-best offensive weapon. Vassell is on a three-game streak with 20 or more points, and he’s reached that total in five of his last seven appearances. His scoring prowess and overall offensive ability make him a reliable asset if the Spurs decide to keep him next year. Indiana is second in offensive efficiency, and combined with San Antonio at the bottom defensively (24th in defensive rating), they will post a crooked number. Expect both teams to score a lot and this match to end.
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