PARIS — Victor Wembanyama’s star power in France is on display everywhere from billboards and banners along the Champs-Élysées to parties he throws with Louis Vuitton to … the national anthem?
The San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers played in Paris again Saturday (the Pacers won 136-98, more on that in a minute) after their first meeting in a game won by the Spurs on Thursday night.
Before Thursday’s game, Wembanyama’s first NBA matchup in his hometown, Parisian singer Sandra Brown belted out a stirring rendition of “La Marseillaise,” and the sold-out crowd of about 15,000 fans seemed to mostly sing along with her. When Wemby was asked about the moment, he said, “You just need the music and everyone will tag along. Maybe next game everyone will.”
Which is basically what happened Saturday.
After Nicole Slack Jones hit unimaginable notes during her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” Brown addressed the crowd in French, as though she was offering instructions. She sang the first line or two, lifted the microphone toward the fans and they took over the song.
Wemby’s will was done. Until the game started.
The Pacers avenged their 30-point loss Thursday by walloping San Antonio with a much better effort and attention to detail. Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points in the third quarter, including 16 straight, to finish with 28 points. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter because he wasn’t needed.
Wembanyama’s second Paris NBA game wasn’t quite as stellar as the first. He followed up Thursday’s 30-point, 11-rebound, five-block effort with 20 points, 12 rebounds and just one block on 7-of-16 shooting Saturday. Wemby’s lone field goal of the second half — a 7-footer with 4:56 left — put the finishing touches on the Spurs’ comeback from a 15-point halftime deficit. It also activated Haliburton.
What a tough bucket from Wemby…
Scores through traffic to give the Spurs their first lead of the game!
🇫🇷 All-Access Paris on ESPN 🇫🇷#NBAParis Games presented by @TISSOT pic.twitter.com/MuNI5n5Eex
— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2025
The Pacers’ star, a member of the Team USA group that beat Wemby and Team France in the Olympic gold medal game in the same arena, ignited for four 3s after the Spurs pulled ahead and ran off 16 consecutive points for Indiana.
While Haliburton was catching fire, his friend and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark posted to social media, “Ty’s on one right now.” She wasn’t wrong.
Tyrese Haliburton STOLE THE SHOW in Paris!
🔥 28 PTS
🔥 18 in 3Q (16 straight)
🔥 6 3PM, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
🔥 11-17 FGM (64.7 FG%)@Pacers are 9-2 in their last 11. pic.twitter.com/Hl26nJdoxD— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2025
The Pacers had 10 shots blocked Thursday and were destroyed on the boards. The Spurs blocked them just five times Saturday and the Pacers outrebounded them 50-44. Indiana’s defense was much better, too, limiting the Spurs to 41.2 percent shooting after coughing up 140 points two days ago.
Pascal Siakam added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who saw all five starters and two reserves reach double-digit points. The Spurs were led in scoring not by Wembanyama, but by Harrison Barnes’ 25 points.
San Antonio’s Sandro Mamukelashvili was ejected with 1:35 remaining for pushing Thomas Bryant in the back while Bryant glided through the air toward the rim. A replay review led the officials to determine Mamukelashvili’s play warranted a flagrant-2 call, which is an automatic ejection. Lead referee Zach Zarba called it a “non-basketball play.”
This marked the first time the NBA held a Global Games series during the regular season in which the two participating teams played two games instead of one.
Because the Spurs are a Western Conference team and the Pacers are in the East, they only play each other twice a season. Both of those games took place, obviously, in Paris this season; the Spurs served as the “home” team Saturday while the Pacers served the role for the first game.
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Catherine Steenkeste / NBAE via Getty Images)
