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The Spurs are coming off their worst week of the season as they lost three games by wide margins to the Grizzlies (twice) and the Heat. They had a few days off to travel and enjoy the beauty of France and Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The game almost seems beside the point, but the Pacers are one of the top teams in the East and are in fifth place, winning 8 of their last 10 games. They’re 2.5 games ahead of the Heat in the standings, and the Spurs will have to play much better than they did against the Heat to have a shot at winning tonight’s (today’s?) game.
The Pacers have a formidable lineup, with Tyrese Halliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, and Bennedict Mathurin starting and T.J. McConnell leading a strong bench group. Jeremy Sochan is listed as questionable for today, which is an upgrade over his recent status, but I expect the Spurs to be cautious with his injury and keep him out of at least one of the Paris games, and my guess is that he’ll play of Saturday in the home game at Accor Arena.
Tonight’s game is technically a road game, but the crowd should be firmly on the side of the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, who is even a bigger star in France than he is in the U.S. Don’t forget Sidy Cissoko, who should be cheered by the French crowd if he manages to enter the game. There will be a ton of distractions this week, and it should be interesting to see if the teams will be able to concentrate on basketball for 48 minutes today. This game is in the middle of the day, so if you are at work, be sure and record the game for watching later, or do like me and check out for a few hours to catch the action. Allons-y Spurs!
Game Prediction:
In a surprise move, Coach Mitch Johnson starts Sidy Cissoko, who plays 38 minutes and scores 30, to the delight of the French fans in attendance at the Accor Arena.
One final word:
Allez les éperons allez!!!
San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers (Paris)
January 23, 2025 | 1:00 PM CT (8:00 PM local time)
Streaming: League Pass
TV: NBA TV, KENS
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