By Jacob Douglas | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-12-30 13:14:48
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。
圣安东尼奥未能克服第二节的低迷，最终输给了明尼苏达。
赢得NBA比赛的关键不在于完美无缺。失误在所难免，但你必须尽量减少失误，或者迫使对手犯下更多错误，才能逃脱失败的深渊。圣安东尼奥马刺队几乎克服了第二节的不利局面，但最终以110-112惜败于明尼苏达森林狼队。
第一节，马刺队以33-25领先，因为森林狼队的三分球命中率很低。然而在第二节，局势迅速逆转。明尼苏达派出了一套小个阵容，打得很快，给马刺队的控球球员施加了很大的压力，并且命中了许多三分球。这套阵容由唐特·迪温琴佐(Donte DiVincenzo)领衔，他全场砍下全队最高的26分。迪温琴佐在攻防两端都打出了精彩的表现——在关键时刻命中关键三分，并在防守端送出关键的抢断。
与此同时，马刺队在第二节几乎没有创造任何进攻机会。他们在第二节的投篮命中率仅为4投21中，如果不是哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)在哨响前投进一记“祈祷式”三分球，他们的得分将只有个位数。这是马刺队连续第二场比赛单节得分低于13分，此前他们在周五对阵布鲁克林篮网队的比赛中，第一节只得了11分。
圣安东尼奥马刺队半场结束时落后15分。这时，德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)和文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)站了出来。文班在下半场势不可挡，砍下了34分中的24分。他在篮下、中距离和三分线外都有得分进账，让森林狼队为在低位用小个子防守他付出了代价。瓦塞尔也终于找到了感觉，开始冲击篮筐，以补充他精准的跳投。他全场14投8中，得到22分。凭借他们的得分爆发，马刺队从落后16分追平了比分，并将比赛拖入第四节。
圣安东尼奥在最后一节开始打出了一波8-0的攻击波，但没能长时间阻止森林狼队在内线的得分，从而保持领先优势。明尼苏达在内线得分以60-40领先马刺，篮板球也以56-41领先。他们在进攻篮板上压制了圣安东尼奥，抢下了18个进攻篮板，其中很多都是在第四节抢到的。
尽管如此，马刺队还是将比赛拖到了最后一刻。在文班亚马罚丢了一个本可以追平比分的罚球后，马刺队在比赛还剩12秒时迅速对迪温琴佐犯规。这位森林狼队的得分王错失了他的两次罚球中的第一罚，给了圣安东尼奥扳平比分的机会。
克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)将球发给文班，后者本应接到保罗的反掩护。森林狼队通过强硬的换防和对初始进攻的封堵破坏了这个战术。球传到了保罗手中，他需要即兴发挥。他再次接到文班的掩护，在防守收缩的情况下，他将球传到了另一侧的侧翼，那里马刺队拥有着人数优势。杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)接到了球，迪温琴佐冲出来防守。在只剩下3秒钟的情况下，他需要做出一个决定——投三分还是将球传给空位的巴恩斯（他得到了24分，包括三个三分球）。索汉选择了出手，但球重重地砸在了篮板上。
https://t.co/FXRvkA4ZUe pic.twitter.com/XKQl30adHg
— Brett Usher (@ UsherNBA) 2024年12月30日
输掉这场比赛后，马刺队的战绩回到了16胜16负。他们在西部季后赛席位的争夺中，仅领先菲尼克斯太阳队半个胜场，排在最后一个席位。他们将在新年前夜主场迎战实力强劲的洛杉矶快船队。快船队的战绩为18胜13负，在本赛季早些时候击败过马刺队，而且他们的最佳球员，前马刺球员科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)可能随时复出。
点击查看原文：Spurs drop late-game thriller to the Timberwolves
Spurs drop late-game thriller to the Timberwolves
San Antonio can’t overcome a poor quarter as they lose to Minnesota.
Winning an NBA game isn’t about being perfect. Mistakes will happen, but you must minimize them or make your opponent commit more of them in order to escape the jaws of defeat. The San Antonio Spurs were so close to overcoming an imperfect second quarter but narrowly lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-110.
The Spurs jumped out to a 33-25 lead in the first quarter as the Wolves struggled to make shots from deep. Things swung in the other direction quickly during the second quarter. Minnesota went with a small ball lineup that played fast, pressured the Spurs’ ball handlers, and knocked down threes. That group was led by Donte DiVincenzo, who led the Wolves in scoring with 26 points. He made big play after big play on both ends – hitting big threes and getting key deflections in crunch time.
Meanwhile, the Spurs failed to create hardly any offense in the second quarter. They shot 4-21 from the field in the second, and if not for a prayer three by Harrison Barnes at the buzzer, they would have scored single-digit points. This is the second straight game the Spurs have scored under 13 points in a quarter after putting up 11 in the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
San Antonio found itself going into halftime down 15 points. That’s when Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama took over. Wembanyama was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 24 of his 34 points. He scored at all three levels, making the Wolves pay for playing smaller defenders on him in the post. Vassell finally started to find a grove, attacking the basket to supplement his sweet jump shot. He finished with 22 points on 8-14 shooting from the field. With their scoring avalanche, the Spurs were able to claw back from down 16 points and tie the game heading into the fourth.
San Antonio lept out to an 8-0 run to start the final frame but couldn’t keep the Wolves out of the paint long enough to keep the lead. Minnesota outscored the Spurs in the paint 60-40 and out-rebounded them 56-41. They crushed San Antonio on the offensive glass, grabbing 18 rebounds, many of them in the fourth quarter.
Despite that, the Spurs were able to take the game to its final possession. After Wembanyama missed a potential game-tying free throw, the Spurs quickly fouled DiVincenzo with 12 seconds to go. The Wolves’ leading scorer missed the front end of his free throws and gave San Antonio a chance to tie it.
Chris Paul inbounded the ball to Wembanyama, who was meant to receive an inverted pick and roll screen from Paul. The Wolves blew up the play by physically switching and shutting down the initial action. The ball swung to Paul, who needed to improvise. He received another screen from Wembanyama and, as the defense collapsed, kicked it to the opposite wing, where the Spurs had an advantage. Jeremy Sochan caught the ball with DiVincenzo rushing out to contest. He had a decision to make with only 3 seconds on the clock – fire a three or make a tough pass to the wide-open Barnes (who had 24 points, including three triples) in the corner. Sochan shot the ball, and it clanked hard off the backboard.
https://t.co/FXRvkA4ZUe pic.twitter.com/XKQl30adHg
— Brett Usher (@ UsherNBA) December 30, 2024
The Spurs fall back to .500 at 16-16 after the loss. They are a half game in front of the Phoenix Suns for the last spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. They’ll host the tough Los Angeles Clippers on New Years Eve. The Clippers are 18-13, beat San Antonio earlier this season, and may be getting their best player and former Spur, Kawhi Leonard, any day now.
By Jacob Douglas, via Pounding The Rock