Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs (19-22) didn’t want to leave for Paris, France riding a three-game losing streak. However, after being outscored by a combined 72 points in the second half of their last three opponent games, that’s the reality San Antonio faces.
“This hasn’t been our best stretch of basketball,” San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “There are some things that we need to shore up, and we’ve played some really good teams, and they’ve exposed some things. We’re looking forward to Paris, but I don’t think we did look forward to it — in terms of overlooking this team or Memphis.”
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After the San Antonio Spurs 128-107 loss in Miami on Sunday, Johnson dismissed the notion that the streak of losses resulted from the Spurs looking ahead to their week in Paris, France, Wembanyama’s home country.
“We’re going to have losing streaks,” Wembanyama said. “I’m very confident in the belief because the belief is always there. It’s more like we got to find that energy — the long term is never being questioned.”
When it comes time for the NBA Paris Games on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, San Antonio will try to leverage Wembanyama homecoming as home-court advantage.
“Both games are definitely going to feel like home games probably,” Wembanyama said. “I know it’s going to be crazy.”
The San Antonio Spurs last played in Paris in a 2006 pre-season game, while the experience will be a first for the Indiana Pacers. However, San Antonio never played in France’s capital amidst ‘Wembymania.’
Wembanyama said it’ll be a busy week for him, but the No. 1 mission for him and the team will be to prevent the 24-19 Indiana Pacers from playing spoiler.
“I’m sure I’m going to enjoy this week for sure,” Wembanyama said. “Regardless of how intense my schedule is going to be — I’m going to be able to see my family, my friends … winning is all that matters.”
Maybe if the San Antonio Spurs were playing behind a winning record, they could approach the Paris trip with less urgency. However, as of Sunday night, San Antonio sits in 12th place in the Western Conference and nine games back of the Southwest Division-leading Rockets.
“It’s a business,” guard Devin Vassell said. “It’s a lot of stuff going on, and it’s a lot of moving pieces and stuff, but the reason why we’re going out there is to play basketball, and that’s the main thing. We gotta keep the main thing the main thing.”
There’s no denying the Paris games will be a memorable trip for the Spurs organization, given their history with French talents.
Wembanyama is the face of a recent wave of NBA stars to hail from France, but he’s not the first. Spurs’ great Tony Parker is a trailblazer for French basketball players, and Wembanyama felt his impact.
“Tony was in his prime when probably when I was starting basketball,” Wembanyama said. “So, we can never underestimate the impact of NBA players on the of the youth in France. It’s really beneficial for the whole system.”
The San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers will face off at 1 p.m. on Jan. 23 and play each other again at 11 a.m. on Jan. 25 at Accor Arena in Paris, France.
