Pacers ready to wrap up preseason on the road against Spurs
After losing to the Spurs at the Fieldhouse on Monday, the Pacers complete their practice home-and-home on Friday in San Antonio.
Earlier this week, the Pacers lost to the Spurs, 124-108 in a back-and-forth preseason affair that showcased the emerging talents of Victor Wembanyama and Bennedict Mathurin while also exposing concern at the center position for the Pacers going forward.
With both teams playing their healthy starters in the mid-20 minute range, the Pacers saw all they needed from Wemby as the Spurs franchise player finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, taking some of those rebounds off the defensive glass and simply pushing the ball up the floor himself to create scoring opportunities. A stunning sight to see, for sure. To be fair, he had seven turnovers along the way by the skill of the 7’5 Wemby starting his third year was impressive to say the least.
Mathurin countered by making all of his shots in a 27-point first half effort and finished with 31 points and 4 rebounds, missing just one shot along the way and making all four of his attempts from 3-land.
Mathurin’s effort highlighted the good news for the Pacers - their veteran returning rotation players are ready to roll. Siakam, Nesmith and Nembhard have been solid in the two preseason games they have played in and the Pacers best stretch of the night came when the four previously mentioned starters ran with Obi Toppin at center as the Pacers continue to show improvement against zone defenses.
As for the bad news, Toppin’s run at center also highlighted the struggles at the position in the other minutes. Through three games, Isaiah Jackson and Jay Huff have teamed up for the most important rotation minutes, combining to average just over 27 minutes per game. In that time the duo is averaging 6.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.3 fouls.
Patience with Jackson is warranted considering he’s been thrust into a starting role, while playing back into game shape as the final step in his Achilles rehab. He will never, not be the fifth option on offense but he has a ways to go to be a threat even in the midrange. Watching him go through his pregame workout on Monday, he did not look comfortable shooting practice jumpers from 15-18 feet. A minor snapshot in time, but hoping his confidence doesn’t take a hit with all of the pressure of ramping up into a starting role.
As for Huff, he does need to be a shooting threat and shoot it with confidence to fill a needed role in the rotation. He has passed up some opportunities in prior games which is not how this Pacers team wants to play. So far he’s only shot four 3-balls and has yet to make one. Like IJax, he’s been thrust into a more important role than he’s played before so hopefully that confidence in letting it rip develops after a make or two.
The nice thing about playing the Spurs again is the fact the team has been able to practice and now face a familiar opponent to try to employ adjustments. There is no adjusting to Wemby, but there are ways the Pacers young players battling for rotation minutes can improve on their effort from Monday.
On the injury front, TJ McConnell (hammy) and Kam Jones (back) remain out and according to Rick Carlisle, will both be out until mid-November. For some good news, Ben Sheppard practiced and is ready to play after dealing with the dreaded calf strain which he suffered at Siakam’s place in Orlando before camp started.
So, along with the center rotation, keep an eye on the Pacers backup point guard play as they continue to look for a consistent option to fill those roles early in the season.
Preseason: Pacers vs. Spurs
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
When: Friday, October 17, 2025 - 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +5.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Jackson
Spurs: Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Victor Wembanyama
Injuries
Pacers: Johnny Furphy (ankle) - questionable, Quenton Jackson (hammy) - questionable, TJ McConnell (hammy) - out, Kam Jones (back) - out
Spurs: De’Aaron Fox (hamstring) - out, Jeremy Sochan (wrist) - out, Kelly Olynyk (heel) - out