The Indiana Pacers have put themselves on the map in just the seventh game of the season.
Following a heartbreaking loss to the Charlotte Hornets that came down to the wire despite a fantastic Tyrese Haliburton performance, the Pacers were looking for a bounce-back win on Monday against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
This wasn’t the Spurs team the Pacers were familiar with last year. This team added some reinforcements in the form of a 7-foot-4 French freak of nature, Victor Wembanyama.
Because of the fact that this game included one of the most hyped-up draft prospects since LeBron James, Gainsbridge Fieldhouse was packed to the brim, with around 11,000 strong coming to see the Pacers battle Wembanyama and company.
Going into this game, the Pacers fans already liked Wembanyama, as he picked them to win their group in his In-Season Tournament predictions, and he did seem a bit upset when the Pacers were given the seventh overall pick in the draft lottery.
Victor Wembanyama knows ball 🫡 pic.twitter.com/q6UieYCog2
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) November 3, 2023
However, the goal of the game on Monday was quite simple: Stop Victor Wembanyama. The fans knew it, the Spurs knew it, the announcers knew it, and the Pacers themselves knew it.
And stop Wembanyama they did, as the Pacers completed a wire-to-wire dominant victory over the Spurs and held Wembanayama to a forgettable night, even leaving a lasting impact on the highlight reel, which will be shown later.
When it was all said and done, the Pacers had themselves a dominant 111-152 victory in a game they never trailed in to give Rick Carlisle his 900th win as an NBA coach, something Spurs coach Gregg Popovich even had to address in his post-game interview.
Their 152 points also tied the mark for most in franchise history, making some history.
Watching this game, it seemed that everything clicked for Indiana at the right time, and the Pacers could do no wrong. Even the usual second-half slump was absent on Monday, as the Pacers thoroughly dominated their opposition en route to tying the team record for points in a game.
There are plenty of things to talk about, so without further ado, let’s get into them.