Even before the in-between, Victor Wembanyama set the tone. The French Spurs star, after a “good evening Paris” followed by a long standing ovation, promised “maximum pleasure, happiness and spectacle” to the 15,000 people who came to fill the Accor Arena. In return, he implored the audience to “make as much noise as possible” so that the Spurs “come back often” to Paris, undoubtedly alluding to the words of Adam Silver who has not, for the moment, confirmed the holding of one or more matches in Paris next year.
On the pitch side, “Wemby” kept his promise: he put on a show, performing powerful counterattacks, logo shots, dribbles behind the back to catch a cold from Myles Turner and other pirouettes of all kinds…
In difficulty recently with six defeats in their last six outings, the Spurs, on this Parisian night, adopted a collective game close to perfection. A fluid attack, alternation in the game and little waste… Leading by a small point at the break (60-59), the Spurs nevertheless took time to get rid of the Pacers, well led by their two French speakers, Pascal Siakam (18 points) and Bennedict Mathurin (24 points).
Lacking confidence during their last outings, Spurs had resumed the bad habit of last season of collapsing – almost inexorably – upon returning from the locker room.
Crazy sequences from “Wemby”
Not this time. No doubt galvanized by this trip to the “City of Lights”, the Texans won this first of the two meetings in the 3rd quarter. With a 23 to 9 in the first five minutes of the period, they delivered twelve minutes of high quality after halftime, finished with a 41 to 23. The Pacers, unable to stop the Texan euphoria and stem their restart game (34 points on counter-attack), ended up taking on water.
Bruised by the final of the last Olympic Games in this same venue, “Wemby” perfectly managed to manage the pressure for his reunion with the French public, five months after the final of the last Olympic Games lost to “Team USA” in this same venue. pregnant.
His stat line? 30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks in 32 minutes. Coming out to chants of “MVP, MVP” five minutes from time, he erased the frustration and gestures of humor visible during his last matches, notably with a huge sequence where he chained counterattacks and brilliant actions in attack, like this “T-Mac” with the board. The Rookie of the Year 2024 delivered a match made by the boss. The audience at the Accor Arena is asking for more…
-Sidy Cissoko also took advantage of the end of the meeting to show himself and put on a show in his turn.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
— Luxury guests galore, an initially timid atmosphere. In front of an audience of stars of all kinds, from footballers from Paris Saint-Germain to actor Omar Sy and singer Matt Pokora, the seats at the edge of the pitch were filled with stars. In the stands, the spectators of the Accor Arena – apart from a few “Go!” Spurs! Go! » and “Wemby!” Wemby” – were generally discreet, even if “Wemby” packed it all in the 3rd quarter.
— Devin Vassell regains his splendor. Victor Wembanyama's number 1 lieutenant last season and not very regular since his injury and foot operation this summer, the Spurs full-back supported “Wemby” perfectly. Skillful behind the line, he finished the game with 25 points at 9/13 shooting.
– Record points for Spurs this season. With a superb 18/36 3-pointer, Victor Wembanyama and his teammates broke their record for points scored this season, reaching 140 points.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
