The San Antonio Spurs closed out their preseason with an emphatic statement, dispatching the Indiana Pacers 133-104 at the Frost Bank Center on Friday night. With this win, the Spurs wrapped up an undefeated preseason and sent a clear message to the rest of the NBA: they’re ready for the regular season to begin. Fans in San Antonio have plenty to be excited about, especially with the reigning rookie of the year, Stephon Castle, continuing to impress and a well-balanced team performance setting the tone for what’s to come.
From the opening tip, it was clear the Spurs meant business. They raced out to a 39-28 lead in the first quarter, moving the ball with precision and playing the kind of unselfish basketball that’s long been a hallmark of the franchise. Stephon Castle, who has quickly become a fan favorite, got everyone involved early on, showing poise and maturity beyond his years. He finished the night with 16 points, but his impact went well beyond the box score. Castle’s court vision and ability to orchestrate the offense were on full display, as he set the tone for his teammates and ensured everyone got a touch.
Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ towering phenom, anchored the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds, leading all scorers and providing a defensive presence that made life difficult for the Pacers’ big men. Wembanyama’s combination of length, agility, and skill is already turning heads across the league, and his performance against Indiana only added to the growing hype. Julian Champagnie and Luke Kornet chipped in 15 points apiece, further highlighting the depth and versatility of the Spurs’ roster.
For the Pacers, it was a night of mixed emotions. The preseason finale served as an opportunity to experiment with different lineups, largely out of necessity due to a string of injuries. Tyrese Haliburton, still sidelined with an Achilles tendon tear suffered in the NBA Finals, was joined on the injury list by T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Johnny Furphy (ankle), Quenton Jackson (hamstring), Kam Jones (back), and Jarace Walker (back soreness). These absences forced associate head coach Lloyd Pierce, filling in for Rick Carlisle, to get creative with his rotations.
The Pacers’ starters—Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam—saw extended minutes in the first half, treating it as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. However, the opening quarter left much to be desired. The Spurs shot a blistering 16-of-25 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, and capitalized on shaky defense and turnovers from Indiana’s core group. Nesmith finished the first period -9, Siakam -10, and both Nembhard and Mathurin -12, with the group combining for four turnovers.
But the Pacers regrouped in the second quarter. They outscored the Spurs 35-27, with their core four combining for 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Siakam and Nesmith were +8 in the period, while Nembhard and Mathurin were +6. None of the starters returned in the second half, as the coaching staff was pleased with their execution and effort during their extended run. “The win for the night for us was the second quarter, so see our group come out and do what we want to do, execute,” Pierce said in his post-game remarks. “We gave up too many points in the first quarter. We were able to keep it under 30 in the second quarter and made a great run down the stretch. We were able to get our guys out because we felt starters played well, played enough minutes, played hard, executed what we needed, and that was a win for the night.”
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 12 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep, showing increased aggression off the dribble without sacrificing accuracy. Mathurin contributed 11 points, finishing 4-of-6 from the floor, while Nembhard added 10 points and five assists. Siakam, who made his first three shots including a three-pointer, also handed out four assists, rounding out a solid preseason for the Pacers’ core.
One of the more intriguing storylines for Indiana was the emergence of rookie Taelon Peter, who was thrust into point guard duties in the first half due to the team’s depleted backcourt. Peter, a shooting guard by trade and on a two-way contract, handled the responsibility admirably. In six first-half minutes, he was +3, scoring four points, grabbing a rebound, and notching an assist and a steal. He finished the night with nine points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block against three turnovers. Pierce praised the rookie’s development: “Probably the most beneficial has been Taelon. He’s been able to get the most minutes, gain the most experience. The game is going to be a lot faster than it was at Liberty for him last year. We were able to play him at the point guard position tonight. We’ve played him off the ball. He’s been able to guard the ball, he’s been able to guard on the perimeter. So four games has probably felt like a lot. I think he understands and feels what the NBA is. Now we have to get him ready to be a rotational guy.”
The Pacers’ second unit, however, struggled to find its footing, especially in the second half. Cameron Payne, a recent addition brought in to bolster the backcourt, scored 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, including two three-pointers, but was a team-worst -26 in his minutes and had just two assists against two turnovers. With Payne on a non-guaranteed contract and roster decisions looming, his future with the team is uncertain—especially with Peter’s rapid improvement.
The center position remains a puzzle for Indiana as well. Isaiah Jackson started every preseason game and appears to be the favorite for the opening night job, but his performance against the Spurs was a mixed bag: eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, two steals, but just two rebounds and three personal fouls. James Wiseman and Tony Bradley, both on non-guaranteed deals, are battling for roster spots, while Jay Huff, who played some power forward in the second half, added nine points and five rebounds. The coaching staff faces tough choices as the cut-down deadline approaches.
With the preseason in the books, the Spurs will ride a wave of momentum into the regular season, their young core looking more cohesive and dangerous with each outing. The Pacers, meanwhile, have questions to answer—particularly around health, depth, and the center rotation—but can take solace in the resilience and flashes of brilliance shown by their core and emerging rookies.
The Pacers now turn their attention to a high-profile regular season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, October 23, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals and a chance to set the tone for the new campaign. With so many moving pieces, the coming days promise plenty of intrigue as both teams look to finalize their rotations and chase early-season success.
