By Jeff McDonald, Spurs Writer | San Antonio Express-News, 2024-04-12 23:49:16
由Gemini Pro人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
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圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫特雷·琼斯（右）在格雷厄姆在比赛还剩 0.9 秒时投篮得分，让马刺队在 2024 年 4 月 12 日星期五的 NBA 比赛中领先丹佛掘金队，随后与后卫德文特·格雷厄姆庆祝。圣安东尼奥以 121-120 击败丹佛
德文特·格雷厄姆接过特雷·琼斯的传球，启动爆发冲刺。
在那一刻，星期五马刺队与丹佛掘金队的比赛已经历时四节，决定比赛胜负的是一场一对一对抗，格雷厄姆对抗贾马尔·穆雷。
“我当时就想，‘杀到篮下’，”格雷厄姆说道。
比赛，格雷厄姆得分。比赛，马刺队胜利。
格雷厄姆在还剩 0.9 秒时面对穆雷的 5 英尺高跳投帮助马刺队在弗罗斯特银行中心以 121-120 击败对手，取得了一场令人惊讶而激动人心的胜利，18,665 名观众起立欢呼，现场爆满。
丹佛的失利让这位卫冕 NBA 冠军与西部联盟的榜首宝座失之交臂。
这使马刺队的战绩变为 21-60，在休斯顿在波特兰的比赛结果出来之前，仍然位居西部联盟垫底，但足以与 1996-97 赛季的马刺队战绩持平，成为俱乐部历史上最糟糕的战绩。
“胜利就是胜利，”马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇赛后轻描淡写地说道，但就连他也无法板着脸。
马刺队——缺少八名首发球员中的五名——克服了 23 分的差距，击败了实力强大的掘金队，后者有很多优势。
开赛之初，丹佛只需要击败马刺队和几乎同样垂死的孟菲斯灰熊队，就能锁定西部联盟的第 1 号种子。
他们遇到了一个马刺队，他们并不准备就此放弃这个赛季。
“很多处在这种情况的球队都会就此完蛋，”波波维奇说，他的球队在周日对阵底特律的赛季收官之战中取得了 10 场比赛中的 6 场胜利。“这些小伙子，你可以看出他们彼此之间其乐融融。他们彼此相爱。”
维克多·文班亚马以 34 分和 12 个篮板为马刺队领跑，唯一稍显遗憾的是出现了七次失误。
这位明星新秀在第三节的精彩表现中独得 17 分，这使马刺队重新回到了比赛中。
桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利在第三次首发中得到赛季最高的 21 分和 12 个篮板，而扎克·柯林斯替补出场得到 15 分。
尽管MVP热门人选尼古拉·约基奇得到 22 分和 12 个篮板，穆雷得到 35 分，掘金队还是输掉了比赛。
周五的比赛不仅是丹佛本赛季失分的最大值，也是马刺队最大的逆袭。
赛后，掘金队教练迈克尔·马龙哀叹球队在两天前击败明尼苏达从而控制了自己在西部联盟的命运后，却错失了机会。
“我们很容易为明尼苏达振奋起来……我认为我们今晚没有采用同样的方式，”马龙说道。
马刺队在第二节初段便落后，并且在比赛最后 3 分半钟仍然落后 8 分。
当约基奇在比赛还剩 9 秒时投丢一个 17 英尺的球时，他们仍然以 120-119 落后。琼斯将篮板球传给了格雷厄姆，突然间整晚的胜利都归结为了一对一对抗。
以下是周五在弗罗斯特银行中心上演的惊悚比赛的三个要点：
1. 德文特·格雷厄姆，职业精神的典范
对格雷厄姆来说，这已经是一个失意的赛季，在周五之前，他只出场了 21 场比赛。随着伤病加重，他在比赛的最后阶段出场得更多。
这位打了六年的职业球员——在这个年轻的球队中算得上是位名副其实的大胡子——本可以对这一职业道路上明显的障碍感到气馁。
但相反，格雷厄姆却一直做好准备。当周五需要赢球的时候，他做到了。
“我就是这么被抚养长大的，我就是这么理解在 NBA 中立足的，你必须时刻保持职业精神，”格雷厄姆说道。“你永远不知道谁在看着你，而且你知道你有好有坏的时候，但你保持积极的态度。”
格雷厄姆在 29 岁的高龄时成为球队最年长的球员，当时道格·麦克德莫特在交易截止日期被交易掉。
阵容中更年轻的马刺队球员可以也应该学习一两件事，了解如何做好准备，即使在大量场均出场时间较少的情况下。
2. 马刺队获胜……凭借防守扑救？
马刺队的防守困境在本赛季表现得相当明显。一直以来，他们在球场上都是 NBA 最差的球队之一，即使阵容中有一位潜在的年度最佳防守球员候选人文班亚马。
当周五的比赛进行到锁定胜局的时候，马刺队依靠防守扑救赢得了胜利。
格雷厄姆在比赛还剩 0.9 秒时后撤跑得分为马刺队领先后，掘金队仍然有机会在中场附近抢断赢得比赛。
阵容中有两名新秀文班亚马和西迪·西索科的马刺队积极地迫使对手违反五秒规则，从本质上结束了比赛。
圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马 (1) 在 2024 年 4 月 12 日星期五在圣安东尼奥赢得他们与丹佛掘金队的 NBA 比赛后，在半场时间庆祝比赛的结束。马刺队以 121-120 获胜。
那次精彩表现中被低估的部分：掘金队叫暂停布置界外球战术后，波波维奇抓住了丹佛的战术，并在裁判将球交给约基奇之前叫暂停。
马龙在暂停期间布置了一个不同的战术，让穆雷担任传球手。在马刺队布置好防守后，他找不到一个空位。
由此产生的失误为马刺队赢得了比赛的胜利。
3. 马穆已经在马刺队的未来计划中打出自己的位置了吗？
马穆克拉什维利是另一位在马刺队伤员不断增加后获得更多机会并充分利用的球员。
周五的双双是他过去七场比赛中的第三个。马穆克拉什维利在 4 月份场均得到 8.4 分和 9.6 个篮板，同时在双人比赛中表现出与文班亚马之间很有默契的联系。
这是否足以让马穆克拉什维利在马刺队的未来计划中占据一席之地？
“我们肯定要好好讨论一下，”波波维奇说道。
圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利 (54) 在 2024 年 4 月 12 日星期五在弗罗斯特银行中心进行的 NBA 比赛的上半场对阵丹佛掘金队前锋佩顿·沃森 (8) 投篮
马穆克拉什维利将在赛季结束时成为一名受限制的自由球员，这意味着马刺队可以保留匹配外部报价的权利。
这位 24 岁的锋线球员表示，如果马刺队愿意的话，他愿意回来。
“我不知道未来会发生什么，但我喜欢待在这里，”马穆克拉什维利说道，“我喜欢和队员们聚在一起，与他们联系，学习，成长，所以我期待着未来，如果这里就是我的未来，我会感到非常高兴
原文如下：
3 takeaways as Devonte’ Graham, Spurs stun Nuggets
[Image] San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones, right, celebrates with guard Devonte’ Graham after Graham’s basket with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Spurs the lead in their NBA game with the Denver Nuggets at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, April 12, 2024. San Antonio beat Denver 121-120
Devonte’ Graham grabbed a throw-ahead pass from Tre Jones and turned on the jets.
At that point, four quarters of Friday’s game between the Spurs and Denver Nuggets came down to a game of one-on-one, Graham against Jamal Murray.
“I was just like, ‘Get to the basket,’ ” Graham said.
Game, Graham. Game, Spurs.
Graham’s running 5-footer over Murray with 0.9 seconds left lifted the Spurs to a surprising and stirring 121-120 victory at the Frost Bank Center in front of a delirious sold-out crowd of 18,665.
Denver’s loss threw a monkey wrench into the defending NBA champions’ bid for the top seed in the Western Conference.
It pushed the Spurs to 21-60, still last place in the Western Conference pending the outcome of Houston’s game in Portland, but enough to snap a tie with the 1996-97 Spurs squad for the worst record in club history.
“A win’s a win,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich cracked wise afterward, but even he couldn’t maintain a stone face.
The Spurs — missing five of their top eight starters — overcame a 23-point deficit to knock of the mighty Nuggets, who had plenty to play for.
Heading into the night, Denver needed only to beat the Spurs and the nearly-as-moribund Memphis Grizzlies to sew up the No. 1 seed in the West.
They ran into a Spurs team not exactly ready to call it a season.
“A lot of teams that have been in this position, they just die out,” said Popovich, whose team has won six of 10 heading into Sunday’s season finale against Detroit. “These guys, you can tell they enjoy each other. They love each other.”
Victor Wembanyama led the way for the Spurs with 34 points and 12 rebounds, a night only slightly marred by seven turnovers.
The star rookie scored 17 of those points during a sizzling third quarter that clawed the Spurs back into the game.
Sandro Mamukelashvili added a season-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in his third start of the campaign, while Zach Collins added 15 points off the bench.
The Nuggets lost despite 22 points and 12 rebounds from MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic and 35 from Murray.
Friday marked Denver’s largest blown lead of the season as well as the Spurs’ largest comeback.
Afterward, Nuggets coach Michael Malone lamented the chance his team squandered after beating Minnesota two nights earlier to wrest control of its own destiny in the West.
“We just gave it right back, you know what I mean?” Malone said. “It’s easy to get up for Minnesota … I don’t think we had the same approach for tonight’s game.”
The Spurs trailed from early in the second quarter on and were still behind by eight heading into the final 3 ½ minutes.
They were still behind 120-119 when Jokic missed a 17-footer with nine seconds remaining. Jones pushed the rebound ahead to Graham, and suddenly the whole night came down to one-on-one.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s thriller at the Frost Bank Center:
1. Devonte’ Graham, paragon of professionalism
It has been something of a lost season for Graham, who before Friday had appeared in 21 games. Most of them have come down the stretch as injuries have mounted up for more heavily used players.
The sixth-year pro — which on this callow team counts as a bona fide graybeard — could have pouted at the obvious speed bump this placed in his career path.
Instead, Graham stayed ready. And when it came time to win the game Friday, he did.
“It’s just how I was raised, how I’ve always approached being in the NBA, you got to be professional at all points,” Graham said. “You never know who’s watching, and you know you have your good and bad days, but you stay positive.”
Graham, at the ripe old age of 29, became the team’s oldest player when Doug McDermott was dealt at the trade deadline.
The younger Spurs on the roster could and should learn a thing or two about staying ready, even amid a host of DNPs.
2. Spurs win … with defensive stop?
The Spurs’ defensive woes have been fairly pronounced this season. They’ve been one of the worst teams in the NBA on that end of the floor, even with a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate on the roster in Wembanyama.
When it came time to salt away Friday’s game, the Spurs won with a defensive stop.
After Graham’s go-ahead runner with 0.9 seconds to go, the Nuggets still had a chance to steal the game, inbounding near midcourt.
The hustling Spurs, featuring a five-man lineup that included a pair of rookies in Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko, forced a five-second violation to essentially end the game.
[Image] San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates as the clock runs out in the second half after winning their NBA game with the Denver Nuggets at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, April 12, 2024 in San Antonio. Spurs won 121-120.
And underrated part of that sequence: After the Nuggets called a timeout to set up their inbounds play, Popovich picked up on the play Denver was running and called timeout before an official handed the ball to Jokic.
Malone drew up a different play in the huddle with Murray as the passer. He couldn’t find anyone open once the Spurs set their defense.
The resulting turnover iced the game for the Spurs.
3. Has Mamu played his way into Spurs’ future plans?
Mamukelashvili is another player who saw greater opportunity once the Spurs’ injuries began stacking up and has made the most of it.
His double-double Friday was his third in the past seven games. Mamukelashvili is averaging 8.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in April, all while showing a heady connection with Wembanyama in the two-man game.
Has it been enough to solidify Mamukelashvili in the Spurs’ plans going forward?
“We definitely have to have that discussion,” Popovich said.
[Image] San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) shoots over Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8)during the first half of their NBA game at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Mamukelashvili is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end, meaning the Spurs can retain the right to match outside offers for him.
The 24-year-old forward indicated he would be open to coming back if the Spurs will have him.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I love being here,” Mamukelashvili said “I love being around the guys, connecting with them, learning, growing, so I’m looking forward to the future and if it’s here I’ll be very happy.”
By Jeff McDonald, Spurs Writer, via San Antonio Express-News