Pacers can keep up with Spurs, remain on road to face Magic
The Pacers had some familiar faces back in the lineup but also delivered a familiar result against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The Pacers traveled to San Antonio on Saturday night and left with another loss on their ledger, dropping a 134-119 decision to the Spurs that felt even more lopsided than the final score suggests. While Andrew Nembhard and Jarace Walker provided some encouraging offensive moments, Indiana’s defense was simply not up to the task, surrendering 134 points on a comfortable 54.6% shooting night from the Spurs.
Things went haywire in the first quarter as the Pacers welcomed back Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard to the starting lineup all at the same time. The Pacers tried to zag against the Wembanyama factor for the Spurs and not start a regular center, with Siakam filling that role and Quentin Jackson added as a starter.
The Pacers were outscored 42-29 in the first quarter and only two of those points came from Wemby. The Spurs set the tone for the evening by killing the Pacers on the glass which lead to more shots and naturally, more points. For the opening quarter, 19 of the Spurs’ 42 points came from their bench as they just kept attacking the Pacers who were unable to keep up.
While the lead expanded at time over the rest of the game, that early deficit was too much for the Pacers to overcome despite essentially playing them even for the remainder of the game. The Pacers were outrebounded 49 to 26 which put the possession game firmly in control of the Spurs.
The bright spot for Indiana on the night was guard Andrew Nembhard, who delivered a team-high 25 points on a highly efficient 8-of-13 shooting night, including 2-of-4 from three-point range. He also contributed 7 assists against just 1 turnover and got to the line nine times, converting seven of them. Solid effort from Nemby all around which included some impressive defensive battles against Wembanyama in the middle of the paint.
Jarace Walker also had a nice line, scoring 21 points on an efficient 8 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Walker has played a lot of minutes this year with wildly fluctuating lineups around him, so it was real nice to see this type of production while playing alongside Siakam, Nesmith and Nembhard.
Siakam’s return after a long absence due to a knee sprain started strong with 10 of his 14 points for the game in the first quarter. However, he made just 2 of 7 shots for the rest of the game in which he played just under 30 minutes.
Siakam and the Starters Struggle
Pascal Siakam had a forgettable night. The veteran big man finished with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, going 0-of-2 from three and converting just 2 of 3 free throw attempts. He did dish 5 assists, but his minus-21 plus/minus rating was the worst on the team and reflected how poorly the Pacers fared when he was on the floor. Siakam looked uncomfortable against San Antonio’s size and athleticism in the paint, and his offensive aggressiveness was notably muted compared to his better nights this season.
Obi Toppin gave Indiana 11 points and 4 assists but was plagued by 4 turnovers — a costly carelessness that the Spurs converted into easy buckets on the other end. Aaron Nesmith had a miserable night, going just 2-of-7 from the field for 5 points while fouling out and posting a minus-22 on the evening, the worst mark among any Pacer.
The Spurs were quite impressive, only needing a decent game from Wemby to dispatch the Pacers. The big fella finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks in just over 26 minutes of play. He was one of three Spurs to score at least 20 points.
Now what?
The Pacers heads into Monday as underdogs once again when they face the Orlando Magic. The Pacers remain one game ahead of the Wizards in the inverse standings but continue to improve their position to lock in a bottom three spot after the Kings beat the Nets on Sunday to put the Kings four wins up on the Pacers in that fourth spot. As usual, many key pieces in the playing rotation will be a game time decision.
Pacers vs. Magic
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, FL
When: Monday, March 23, 2026 - 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +13.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Magic: Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Injuries
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - questionable, Andrew Nembhard (back) - questionable, Obi Toppin (foot) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (knee) - questionable, Ivica Zubac (rib) - out, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Magic: Anthony Black (abdominal) - out, Jonathan Isaac (knee) - out, Franz Wagner (ankle) - out