It has now become a habit to see the NBA come to Paris for a basketball game in the beginning of the year. Over the last couple of years, the Hornets, the Pistons, the Cavaliers and the Bucks already took the plane to visit the French capital and propose a glimpse of American basketball to the European continent.
For 2025, NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to play, not one, but two NBA games in Paris: this week, the Indiana Pacers of Cameroonian power forward Pascal Siakam played two confrontations against the San Antonio Spurs of French rising star Victor Wembanyama.
The first confrontation must be forgotten for the teammates of Pascal Siakam, who scored 18 points for 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the defeat before the Spurs. The Pacers were beaten 110-140 and had to take their revenge a few days later. What they did.
Last Saturday, nothing was the same, and San Antonio did not overtake the 100-point limit for the Game 2. The last minutes of the game were dedicated to what they call “garbage time” because Indiana’s advance was too high. The Pacers won 136-98 with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists from Siakam, who played “only” 31 minutes. Tyrese Haliburton scored 28 points.
For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points, while Harrison Barnes added 25 points and Chris Paul 11 points (and 8 assists). Both teams left the French capital the same day to be able to continue the regular season at home.
After less than 50 games, things look nice for the Indiana Pacers, who are ranking 5th in the Eastern Conference with 25 victories and 20 defeats. In
the West, life is harder for the San Antonio Spurs. With 20 victories and 23 defeats, the Texas franchise is ranking 12th.