By Jacob Douglas | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-12-31 16:00:00
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队即将迎来一段艰难的赛程，首个对手便是实力强劲的洛杉矶快船队。
2024年即将结束，现在正是回顾圣安东尼奥马刺队一年表现的好时机。虽然赛季初表现不佳，但他们以强劲的势头结束了这一年，在新赛季取得了五成胜率。在新年前夜，马刺队有机会以一场胜利为2024年画上圆满的句号，并以高于五成的胜率开启2025年。
为此，他们需要战胜实力强劲的洛杉矶快船队。尽管科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)因伤缺席了赛季初的比赛，但快船队仍然是联盟前五的防守强队。除了他们的主要得分手詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)和诺曼·鲍威尔(Norman Powell)，快船队还拥有一些像克里斯·邓恩(Kris Dunn)、小德里克·琼斯(Derrick Jones Jr.)以及伊维察·祖巴茨(Ivica Zubac)这样顽强的球员，他们总是能给对手制造麻烦。洛杉矶快船队在周一晚上的比赛中最后时刻逆转战胜了新奥尔良鹈鹕队。
尽管在本赛季与快船队的第一次交锋中，马刺队早早取得了40-14的领先优势，但最终还是输掉了比赛。在最近的两场比赛中，马刺队都出现了单节得分不足20分的情况。如果周二晚上再次出现这样的情况，对圣安东尼奥来说将是灾难性的。
这场比赛标志着马刺队艰难赛程的开始，在一月份他们只有三场比赛的对手胜率低于五成。用一场胜利结束这一年可以帮助他们建立 momentum，以应对即将到来的艰难一月。
圣安东尼奥马刺队 (16-16) vs. 洛杉矶快船队 (19-13)
2024年12月31日 | 下午6:00 (中部时间)
观看：FanDuel Southwest | 收听：WOAI (1200 AM)
马刺队伤病情况： 小戴维·杜克(David Duke Jr.) – 缺阵（发展联盟），哈里森·英格拉姆(Harrison Ingram) – 缺阵（发展联盟），莱利·米尼克斯(Riley Minix) – 缺阵（发展联盟）
快船队伤病情况： （背靠背比赛，必须在中部时间下午1点前报告）
比赛看点
马刺队的替补阵容
最近马刺队的替补阵容表现起伏不定。代理主教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)还没有找到合适的替补中锋，斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)状态挣扎，锋线球员的输出也不稳定。因此，在过去的几场比赛中，马刺队的替补轮换阵容一直在变动。快船队阵容深度十足，尼古拉斯·巴图姆(Nic Batum)、阿米尔·科菲(Amir Coffey)和小凯文·波特(Kevin Porter Jr.)等球员都来自替补席。看看约翰逊会用什么样的球员组合来应对快船队的深度将是一件很有趣的事情。
限制祖巴茨的篮板球
如果马刺队不小心，祖巴茨会在篮板球方面让他们付出代价。在他们上次交锋中，祖巴茨抢下了13个篮板，其中10个是进攻篮板。周日晚上，马刺队让鲁迪·戈贝尔(Rudy Gobert)抢下了11个进攻篮板。他们必须找到限制快船队二次进攻机会的方法——这首先要从在内线给祖巴茨制造麻烦开始。
稳定的进攻
圣安东尼奥不能再像过去两场比赛那样出现进攻得分荒。部分原因是第二阵容无法在阵地战中持续创造优势。面对快船队的防守，马刺队的进攻不能只依靠文班亚马(Wembanyama)。像克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)、德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)和凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)这样的进攻箭头必须找到得分的方法，使马刺队的进攻更加多变。如果角色球员表现低迷，可能会葬送圣安东尼奥。
想了解快船球迷的视角，请访问Clips Nation。
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点击查看原文：Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio starts a difficult stretch of their schedule against a tough Clippers squad.
As 2024 closes, it’s a good time to reflect on how the year treated the San Antonio Spurs. While they certainly started the year on a rough note, they’ve finished strong, going .500 in the new NBA season. On New Year’s Eve, the Spurs will have a chance to finish the year strong and head into 2025 with a record above .500.
They’ll need to overcome a tough Los Angeles Clippers squad in order to do so. The Clips have been a top-5 defense in the NBA without Kawhi Leonard, who has missed the beginning of the season due to injuries. Outside of their leading scorers, James Harden and Norman Powell, LA has some scrappy players like Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac, who make life tough for opposing teams. Los Angeles is coming off a late-game victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
San Antonio lost their previous meeting with the Clippers this season despite jumping out to an early 40-14 lead. The Spurs have played two straight games in which they failed to score over 20 points in a quarter. Another frame like that could be disastrous for San Antonio on Tuesday night.
This game marks a difficult stretch of the Spurs’ schedule in which they’ll only play three games against teams with a losing record in January. Getting a win to end the year could help them build momentum going into what will likely be a difficult month.
San Antonio Spurs (16-16) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (19-13)
December 31st, 2024 | 6:00 PM CT
Watch: FanDuel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: David Duke Jr. – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Riley Minix – Out (G League)
Clippers Injuries: (coming off back-to-back, must report by 1 p.m. CT)
What to watch for
The Spurs bench unit
San Antonio has gotten uneven play from its bench lately. Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson hasn’t found an answer at backup center, Stephon Castle has struggled, and the wings haven’t given consistent production. Because of this, the Spurs bench rotation has fluctuated over the last few games. The Clippers are a fairly deep squad with contributors like Nic Batum, Amir Coffey, and Kevin Porter Jr. coming off their bench. It will be interesting to see what combination of players Johnson uses to contend with the Clippers’ depth.
Keeping Zubac off the glass
If the Spurs aren’t careful, Zubac will make them pay on the glass. In their last matchup, Zubac snatched up 13 rebounds; 10 were offensive. The Spurs just gave up 11 offensive rebounds to Rudy Gobert on Sunday night. They have to find a way to limit the Clippers’ second opportunities – that starts with making things difficult for Zubac in the paint.
Consistent offense
San Antonio cannot afford to have the offensive droughts they’ve experienced in the last two games. Part of that has to do with the inability of the second unit to create consistent advantages in the half-court. The Spurs’ offense cannot be Wembanyama-or-bust against the Clippers’ defense. Offensive drivers like Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson have to find ways to score, making the Spurs a more dynamic attack. An inefficient night from the supporting cast could bury San Antonio.
For the Clippers fan’s perspective, please visit Clips Nation.
If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!
By Jacob Douglas, via Pounding The Rock