Key Pacers' Player Shined Despite Loss to Spurs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Jan 24, 2025 1:25 PM ET

On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers got blown out by the San Antonio Spurs in the first of two games in Paris. In front of a largely French crowd, the Spurs had the fans on their side, and Frenchman Victor Wembanyama did not disappoint, scoring 30 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking five shots.

While Wembanyama was the star of the show, Pacers' wing Bennedict Mathurin had a solid outing, scoring 24 points and making a remarkable 11 of his 14 shots.

Mathurin, who was raised in Quebec by Haitian parents, speaks French fluently, which only endeared him further to the French crowd.

After the game, the press pool of mostly international reporters was abuzz with questions about Wembanyama, but Mathurin tried to steal the show and got some high praise.

"Ben's been working very hard on his efficiency as a scorer," said head coach Rick Carlisle. "And tonight he did a great job. 11 for 14 from the field is excellent. You know, he hit a couple of 3s. We'd like him to get more good looks from 3 when we can get him those. He's a young player that works very hard and has gotten better and better. And he speaks French, too, so, that's good."

This season, Mathurin has improved significantly as a scorer, making 35.9 percent of his shots from deep, compared to 34.4 percent in his first two seasons. He has leaned into some physicality and can create his shots with the best of them, and is quickly becoming a key player on a solid Pacers team.

The NBA is trying to sell merchandise for both teams at the games in Paris, and while Wembanyama jerseys are a popular souvenir for fans, Mathurin is making a strong case for new fans to adopt the Pacers as their favorite team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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