By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-01 09:25:34
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
周四晚在盐湖城，犹他爵士队的沃克·凯斯勒(Walker Kessler)防守马刺队的维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)。文班亚马得到25分、9个篮板、7次助攻、5次抢断和5次盖帽，带领马刺以106-88获胜。(美联社照片/里克·伊根)
盐湖城——维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)以日本2001年动画奇幻电影《千与千寻》中的无脸男的装扮现身盐湖城的三角洲中心，庆祝万圣节。
在电影中，这个戴着白色面具的高大人形 spirits 部分代表了接受真实自我的挣扎。
在周三晚输给俄克拉荷马城的比赛中经历了职业生涯最糟糕的夜晚后，文班亚马利用他的外线触觉，打出了职业生涯至今最好的全能比赛之一。
文班亚马出场34分钟，拿到了职业生涯第二个“5x5”数据，贡献25分、9个篮板、7次助攻、5次抢断和5次盖帽，带领马刺队在周四晚上以106-88战胜了犹他爵士队。
文班亚马进入这场比赛时，三分球21投仅4中（19%），但这并没有阻止他继续在外线出手。
“想要投进那些球，你首先得出手才行，”他说。
文班的前四次出手都是三分球。他投丢了前两次，然后命中了接下来的两次。整场比赛，他20投仅9中，其中三分球13投4中——这是他职业生涯三分出手次数最多的一场。
但他开场就敢于出手的自信表明，他已经准备好翻过输给雷霆的那糟糕一页，带领马刺队在连败两场后取得一场急需的胜利。
如果他在俄克拉荷马城的表现让他感到困扰，他也并没有表现出来。
“一切如常，”马刺前锋桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利(Sandro Mamukelashvili)谈到文班进入比赛时的举止时说。“他从不慌乱，总是面无表情。”
文班在对阵雷霆的比赛中只得到6分，并且出手次数创下职业生涯新低的5次。而他对那场罕见的低迷表现的回应，是一场精彩的全能表现，这让他跻身一些罕见的行列。
NBA历史上只有另外两名球员有过多次“5x5”的比赛：名人堂成员哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)（1238场比赛中6次）和安德烈·基里连科(Andrei Kirilenko)（797场比赛中3次）。
文班在仅仅76场比赛中就两次拿到“5x5”。他渴望更多。
“这告诉我，当我拿不到‘5x5’时，我需要提高自己的标准，因为我能够在所有这些方面帮助我的球队，”他说。“这应该是一件经常发生的事情。正如我之前所说，这是我们必须拥有的，也是我必须更经常拥有的，才能在所有这些方面帮助我的球队。”
文班说，他决定以一连串的三分球开始比赛，是由于犹他队对他的防守方式，以及他希望帮助球队早点打开局面的愿望。
“与其说是个人原因，不如说是想让我们的进攻更进一步，”文班说。“篮球是一项我们必须去玩、去享受的游戏，这需要积极进取、良好的空间感，并且毫不犹豫。”
格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说他“绝对”希望文班在外线出手。
“他更像是一个外线球员，而不是一个内线球员，”这位马刺队教练说。“我们希望他能够做到一切，单打、投篮，无所不能。我们只是不能一下子做到这一切。这取决于当时的情况。”
前马刺球员帕蒂·米尔斯(Patty Mills)替补出场，连续命中三个三分球，点燃了一波13-0的进攻，让犹他以30-19的领先优势进入第二节。爵士队半场结束时以53-47领先，但马刺队在第三节打出一波12-0的攻势，一举反超比分，并在第四节最多领先20分。
除了文班亚马的全能表现外，马刺队还得益于克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)在下半场的掌控。
这位39岁的老将控球后卫在下半场得到了他19分中的14分。他还送出了全场最高的10次助攻，拿到了他在马刺队的第一个两双。
“他真的掌控了比赛，并且得到了回报，”文班亚马说。“而且他不是随便做的。他看到了他们在上半场试图做什么，他实际上预判了他们的调整，所以我们才能从一开始就压制他们。我认为他明白在那一刻我们需要他得分，他也做到了。”
保罗说：“我已经打过不少比赛了。我只是告诉（文班），‘也让我来帮帮你。’他肩负着很多责任。”
科林·塞克斯顿(Collin Sexton)为0胜5负的爵士队拿下全队最高的16分，爵士队缺少了因背部痉挛缺阵的球星前锋劳里·马尔卡宁(Lauri Markkanen)。
马刺队（2胜3负）将于周六晚主场迎战全明星安东尼·爱德华兹(Anthony Edwards)和焕然一新的明尼苏达森林狼队（2胜2负）。
文班亚马本周末不会穿着戏服来到冰霜银行中心，但他希望马刺队有一天能在万圣节主场比赛，这样他就可以穿着他“最喜欢的恐怖角色”的服装，让冰霜银行中心的球迷们开心。在菲尼克斯的新秀赛季装扮成瘦长鬼影和今年的无脸男之后，他已经树立了一个很高的标准。
“我选的……它来自一部我很喜欢的电影，我已经看过很多遍了，”文班亚马说。
戏服，三分球，这都是他接受自己真实本性的一部分。
2024年10月31日，周四，在盐湖城举行的NBA篮球比赛上半场，犹他爵士队后卫乔丹·克拉克森(Jordan Clarkson)（00号）带球内切，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗（3号）和圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马（1号）防守。
2024年10月31日，周四，在盐湖城举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马（1号）从犹他爵士队前锋约翰·科林斯(John Collins)（20号）手中抢下篮板。(美联社照片/里克·伊根)
2024年10月31日，周四，在盐湖城举行的NBA篮球比赛上半场，犹他爵士队后卫乔丹·克拉克森（00号）带球内切，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗（3号）和圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马（1号）防守。(美联社照片/里克·伊根)
2024年10月31日，周四，在盐湖城举行的NBA篮球比赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)（40号）防守犹他爵士队前锋凯尔·菲利波夫斯基(Kyle Filipowski)（22号），圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马（1号）防守犹他爵士队中锋沃克·凯斯勒（24号）。(美联社照片/里克·伊根)
2024年10月31日，犹他州盐湖城：圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克多·文班亚马（1号）在三角洲中心与犹他爵士队的比赛下半场试图越过沃克·凯斯勒（24号）投篮。
2024年10月31日，犹他州盐湖城：在三角洲中心与犹他爵士队的比赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克多·文班亚马（1号）与克里斯·保罗（3号）交谈。
点击查看原文：Wembanyama did it his way in big bounce-back performance against Utah
Wembanyama did it his way in big bounce-back performance against Utah
Utah’s Walker Kessler defends the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. Wembanyama had 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks to lead the Spurs to a 106-88 win. (AP Foto/Rick Egan)
SALT LAKE CITY – Victor Wembanyama celebrated Halloween by arriving at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City disguised as No-Face from “Spirited Away,” a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film.
In the movie, the tall, human-shaped spirit with a white mask partly represents the struggle to accept one’s true self.
And after suffering through a career-worst outing in Wednesday night’s loss at Oklahoma City, he used his outside touch to spark one of the best all-around games of his young career.
Logging 34 minutes, Wembanyama notched his second career 5x5 game, recording 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks in leading the Spurs to a 106-88 win over Utah on Thursday night.
Wembanyama entered the game shooting just 4 for 21 (19%) from distance, but that didn’t stop him from letting 'em fly against the Jazz.
“To be able to make those shots, you have to take them first,” he said.
Wembanyama’s first four shots were 3-point attempts. He missed the first two before sinking the next two. For the game, he was only 9 for 20 from the field, including just 4 for 13 – a career-high for attempts – from deep.
But the confidence he showed by coming out firing signaled he was ready to turn the page on his stinker against the Thunder and lead the Spurs to a much-needed win after losing their last two in a row.
If his performance in OKC bothered him, he didn’t let anybody know it.
“It was business as usual,” Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili said of Wembanyama’s demeanor entering the game. “He never gets fazed, always poker-faced.”
Wembanyama scored just six points and took a career-low five shots against the Thunder. His response to that rare stinker was a stellar all-around outing that put him in some rare company.
Only two other players in NBA history have multiple 5x5 games: Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon (six in 1,238 games) and Andrei Kirilenko (three in 797 games).
Wembanyama has had a pair of 5x5s in just 76 outings. And he’s eager for more.
“It tells me I need to get my standards up when I don’t get five by fives because I am able to help my team in all those areas,” he said. “It should be a consistent thing. As I have said before, it is something we must have, something I must have more often to be able to help my team in all those areas.”
Wembanyama said his decision to open the game with a barrage of 3s was triggered by how Utah defended him and his desire to help give his team an early spark.
“It’s less than an individual thing than wanting to get our offense to progress,” Wembanyama said. “Basketball is a game we have to play, to have fun, and that comes with being aggressive and having good spacing and not hesitating.”
Gregg Popovich said he “absolutely” wants Wembanyama to fire away from deep.
“He is more of a perimeter player than he is a post player,” the Spurs coach said. “We want him to be able to do everything, isolate, shoot, do the whole deal. We just can’t do it all at once. It depends on the situation and what is going on.”
Former Spur Patty Mills came off the bench to make three straight 3s and ignite a 13-0 run that gave Utah a 30-19 lead heading into the second period. The Jazz led 53-47 at halftime, but the Spurs used a 12-0 run in the third to go ahead for good and led by as many as 20 points in the fourth.
In addition to Wembanyama’s stat sheet-stuffing performance, the Spurs benefited from Chris Paul taking control in the second half.
The 39-year-old point guard scored 14 of his 19 points after halftime. He also had a game-high 10 assists to record his first double-double as a Spur.
“He really took the game into his hands, and it paid off,” Wembanyama said. “And he didn’t do that randomly. He saw what they were trying to do in the first half, and he actually anticipated their adjustments so we could finish them from the jump. I think he understood that in this moment we needed him to score points, and he did.”
Said Paul, “I done played a few games. I just told (Wembanyama), ‘Let me help you, too.’ There is a lot asked of him.”
Collin Sexton had a team-high 16 points for the 0-5 Jazz, which played without star forward Lauri Markkanen (back spasms).
The Spurs (2-3) are back on the court Saturday night at home against All-Star Anthony Edwards and the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2).
Wembanyama won’t arrive at the Frost Bank Center in costume this weekend, but he’s hopeful the Spurs will someday play at home on Halloween so he can delight fans at the Frost Bank Center dressed as one of his “favorite kind of scary characters.” He’s set a high bar after dressing as Slender Man as a rookie in Phoenix and as No-Face this year.
“I chose it. … It was from a movie I love that I have watched many times,” Wembanyama said.
The costumes, the 3-point shots, it’s all just part of him accepting his true nature.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) takes the ball inside, as San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) grabs a rebound from Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) takes the ball inside, as San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) guards Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22), as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) guards Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24), during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs attempts a shot over Walker Kessler #24 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of a game at Delta Center on October 31, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 speaks to Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on October 31, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News