By NBA insiders | ESPN, 2025-01-24 20:00:00
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。
2025 年 NBA 对抗周于周六落下帷幕，四场精彩的比赛让球迷大呼过瘾，其中包括达拉斯独行侠队和波士顿凯尔特人队之间的 2024 年总决赛重演。
在以一场包括对阵印第安纳步行者队砍下 30 分 5 个篮板的比赛为代表的强势回归法国之旅后，维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) 和圣安东尼奥马刺队将再次在巴黎与泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿(Tyrese Haliburton)和他的队友们交锋。
美国奥运男篮队友勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)和斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)将在本赛季第二次正面交锋，洛杉矶湖人队和金州勇士队将在西部联盟的战斗中展开对决。
明尼苏达森林狼队将迎战丹佛掘金队，重演上赛季扣人心弦的西部半决赛，安东尼·爱德华兹(Anthony Edwards)在第七场的惊悚对决中力压三届 MVP 尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)。
这些正在酝酿中的对抗是否预示着季后赛的到来？哪些超级巨星将在本周末接管比赛？我们的 NBA 内部人士将回答围绕这八支球队的最大问题，以及所有四场比赛的最佳投注。
印第安纳步行者队 vs. 圣安东尼奥马刺队，美国东部时间中午 12 点 (ESPN)
步行者队最近的强势表现背后是什么，他们能将其保持到季后赛吗？
尽管步行者队本赛季的节奏比上赛季更慢（目前排名第七，而上赛季的节奏排名第二），但他们的速度和节奏掩盖了防守端的不足。不过，毫无疑问，印第安纳的防守有所改善，他们打出了教练里克·卡莱尔(Rick Carlisle)所说的“高要求的风格”，这使得球队看起来有望再次进入东部决赛。自 12 月 13 日以来，步行者队的战绩为 14 胜 5 负，其中四场失利来自与俄克拉荷马城、波士顿、密尔沃基和克利夫兰等强队的比赛。如果他们能保持防守端的改进水平，步行者队有机会将这种势头带入季后赛。
马刺队需要什么才能跻身西部前六？
圣安东尼奥并非完全没有竞争力，但一些问题一直困扰着马刺队。在进攻端，圣安东尼奥会陷入对手的比赛节奏（这是防守失误的产物），这可能导致像我们在周四巴黎战胜印第安纳之前连续三场失利中看到的那种灾难性的结果。防守端的沟通不足仍然是一个主要问题。马刺队一直表示，他们不能再以年轻作为表现不稳定的借口，除非圣安东尼奥在这些方面达到一定的一致性，否则他们在西部排名上升的前景不会改善。
随着一场比赛的结束，文班亚马的回家之旅是___？
正在朝着文班亚马和马刺队所希望的巨大成功发展。文班亚马想要在他的祖国法国大放异彩，他在周四的比赛中做到了这一点，他拿下了职业生涯第七场得分篮板助攻盖帽均至少 25 分 10 篮板 5 助攻 5 盖帽的比赛。在他的第二个 NBA 赛季，文班亚马就已经跻身此类比赛的历史前六名。最重要的是，圣安东尼奥取得了一场胜利，这场胜利得益于全队强劲的投篮之夜，马刺队证明了他们可以应对像步行者队这样的快节奏球队。
– 迈克尔·C·莱特(Michael C. Wright)
最佳投注： 文班亚马得分和助攻低于 33.5 分（-125）
文班亚马在周四晚上在法国土地上的第一场 NBA 比赛中砍下 30 分并送出 6 次助攻。但他在过去 10 场比赛中有 8 场低于这条线。本赛季步行者队的防守并不差，尤其是在对阵中锋时。我预计印第安纳在周六的比赛中会更好地限制文班。– 埃里克·穆迪(Eric Moody)
丹佛掘金队 vs. 明尼苏达森林狼队，下午 3 点 (ABC, ESPN+)
威斯布鲁克和约基奇是带领掘金队进入季后赛的二人组吗？
拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克(Russell Westbrook)本赛季的故事令人敬佩，这位前 MVP 在最近几年一直在联盟中辗转反侧。他与约基奇一起蓬勃发展，作为首发场均得到 14.5 分、6.3 个篮板和 7.6 次助攻。威斯布鲁克似乎越来越有可能留在首发阵容中——当他和约基奇一起首发时，丹佛的战绩是 17 胜 3 负——但掘金队并没有指望威斯布鲁克成为联合主演。工资单清楚地表明了这一点：威斯布鲁克拿着老将底薪合同，而贾马尔·默里(Jamal Murray)在本赛季开始前签下了一份四年 2.08 亿美元的顶薪续约合同。“我们作为一个组织这样做了，因为我们相信他，”掘金队教练迈克尔·马龙(Michael Malone)在默里在 1 月 14 日战胜达拉斯的比赛中得到赛季最高的 45 分后说道，他回击了针对这位后卫赛季初表现缓慢的批评。为了防止有人忘记，马龙指出，默里在掘金队 2023 年的冠军征程中发挥了重要作用。自 12 月初以来，默里场均得到 20.7 分和 5.9 次助攻，真实命中率为 57.8%。如果他能保持这种水平的表现，掘金队将是争冠热门。
本赛季阻碍森林狼队前进的最大因素是什么？
明尼苏达有一个可怕的倾向，那就是在比赛的最后阶段在进攻端陷入泥潭。森林狼队打了 29 场关键比赛（最后五分钟内分差在五分以内），领先全联盟——其中很多是因为看似舒适的领先优势在比赛后期崩溃——关键时刻的进攻效率排名第 28 位（每 100 回合 98.5 分）。这是安东尼·爱德华兹最有提升空间的地方。他在关键时刻的正负值（-49）排名联盟垫底，这在很大程度上是因为爱德华兹过于依赖个人英雄主义，尽管他经常被包夹。他在关键时刻的出手次数（64 次）和三分球出手次数（37 次）最多，但在这些情况下，他的投篮命中率只有 39.1%，三分球命中率只有 27.0%。
爱德华兹还是约基奇：哪位超级巨星将接管这场比赛？
约基奇总是接管比赛的最佳人选，因为他可以用很多不同的方式统治比赛。本赛季，他在前三节就拿到了比其他任何球队都多的三双（14 次）。这是一位三届 MVP，正处于他职业生涯最好的统计赛季中，得分（30.1 分）、助攻（9.9 次）和抢断（1.9 次）均创下职业生涯新高，篮板（13.2 个）也创下职业生涯第二高。约基奇是联盟得分王之一，而且经常在没有出手的情况下完全控制比赛的节奏。
– 蒂姆·麦克马洪(Tim MacMahon)
最佳投注： 丹佛掘金队 -4.5 分（-105）
掘金队火力全开，尤其是考虑到尼古拉·约基奇最近的表现。丹佛在过去九场比赛中取得了 8 胜 1 负的战绩，并且在这八场比赛中都赢得了让分。如果约基奇继续保持统治力，并且他的队友们能够投进他们的球，掘金队就有很大的机会完成任务。他们需要保护篮筐，控制篮板球，并限制失误，才能战胜森林狼队。掘金队在他们的六场客场比赛中赢得了六次让分。– 穆迪
波士顿凯尔特人队 vs. 达拉斯独行侠队，下午 5:30 (ABC, ESPN+)
凯尔特人队能追上骑士队成为东部第一吗？他们需要这样做吗？
波士顿不会追上克利夫兰成为东部第一——也不会担心这一点。
凯尔特人队在东部积分榜上落后骑士队 5.5 个胜场，根据 ESPN 的篮球实力指数，在周四的比赛开始前，他们预计将最终落后 8 个胜场。期望波士顿在下半赛季弥补这样的差距是不现实的，尤其是考虑到凯尔特人队最近平庸的战绩（自 12 月 23 日以来 9 胜 8 负），以及在整个赛季中采取极其谨慎的措施让球员休息。
讽刺的是，凯尔特人队让人想起了 2015 年至 2018 年勒布朗·詹姆斯带领的骑士队。那些球队从不担心拥有联盟第一的种子席位——他们在这四个赛季中只有一个赛季拥有它——并且总是相信他们可以在客场季后赛系列赛中取胜。作为卫冕冠军，凯尔特人队相信他们可以在克利夫兰开始的系列赛中击败骑士队。波士顿将在最后阶段优先考虑健康。
独行侠队重返季后赛的最大障碍是什么？
健康。德里克·莱弗利二世(Dereck Lively II)因脚踝骨折将缺席两到三个月。卢卡·东契奇(Luka Dončić)因小腿拉伤缺席了几周。凯里·欧文(Kyrie Irving)正在处理挥之不去的背部问题——这对任何球员来说都是一个令人担忧的问题，尤其是对一个身材较小、度过了一个了不起的赛季并且将在 3 月年满 33 岁的后卫来说。
达拉斯有七名球员缺席了周四对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的比赛，其中包括预计轮换阵容中的四名主力球员：东契奇、莱弗利、克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)和纳吉·马歇尔(Naji Marshall)。一支完整的阵容很难长时间保持，但自从东契奇离开阵容后，独行侠队的战绩为 5 胜 11 负。
这场 2024 年 NBA 总决赛的重演将是 ___？
令人失望的，原因无他，东契奇的伤病让这场比赛失去了光彩，再加上波士顿过去几周的平庸表现。除了俄克拉荷马城，独行侠队仍然可以说是西部所有球队中上升空间最大的球队，也可能是阻止雷霆队自 2012 年以来首次进入 NBA 总决赛的最佳选择。
当这场比赛被列入赛程时，人们希望所有的明星都能正面交锋。东契奇的受伤阻止了这种情况的发生。
– 蒂姆·邦坦普斯(Tim Bontemps)
最佳投注： 独行侠队 +8.5 分（-110）
凯尔特人队近两个月来没有赢过三场以上的连胜。波士顿在过去八场比赛中赢得了两次让分，并且整个赛季都在赢取让分方面苦苦挣扎。作为本赛季客场的大热门，凯尔特人队在让分至少八分的情况下，让分盘的战绩只有 13 胜 19 负 1 平。即使没有卢卡·东契奇，我相信独行侠队也会让这场比赛比预期的更接近。– 穆迪
洛杉矶湖人队 vs. 金州勇士队，晚上 8:30 (ABC, ESPN+)
湖人队在西部保持竞争力的最大因素是什么？
湖人队以西部第六名的身份进入了赛季中期——如果赛季今天结束，这将意味着自动获得季后赛资格，并让湖人队自 2020 年以来首次避免附加赛。然而，任何满足感都已经为时过早。“我们必须要有不试图保住这个位置，而是要变得更好的心态，”湖人队前锋八村塁(Rui Hachimura)周四说道。“努力争取第三名，或者类似的成绩。我们不能只是保住这个位置，并试图依靠其他球队的失利。”八村塁的回答呼应了湖人队教练杰·杰·雷迪克(JJ Redick)不断向他的球队传达的信息，即以过程为导向，并拥有成长的心态。如果湖人队从上半赛季的错误中吸取教训，成为一支更好的球队，他们就还有机会。如果没有，正如八村塁提到的，他们是否避免了附加赛也无关紧要。
勇士队在接下来的几周里需要做什么才能回到季后赛的争夺中？
在过去 10 场比赛中输掉了 6 场——包括本周在与萨克拉门托国王队的比赛中令人失望地挥霍了 18 分的领先优势——这对这支球队来说是一个危险的时期。要扭转局面，勇士队必须找到在斯蒂芬·库里之外的得分方式，因为勇士队的角色球员越是表现不稳定，其他球队就越能够限制库里。勇士队的进攻效率排名第 20 位——每 100 回合得到 111.3 分——虽然他们的防守排名第 11 位，但净胜分仍然为负。丹尼斯·施罗德(Dennis Schroder)，球队在赛季中期的补充，并没有像他们希望的那样产生影响，他场均得到 10.4 分，命中率为 35.9%（三分球命中率为 28.6%）。
勒布朗对阵库里：哪位超级巨星将在他们本赛季的第二次对决中脱颖而出？
为什么不能是两个人呢？库里和詹姆斯在本赛季圣诞节的第一次交锋中都表现出色，詹姆斯得到 31 分和 10 次助攻，略胜于这位勇士球星的 38 分，湖人队以两分险胜。这两位历史级的伟大球员十多年来一直在互相激发，随着我们见证可能只剩下少数几次的对决，这种情况应该会继续下去。
– 戴夫·麦克梅纳明(Dave McMenamin)
最佳投注： 总分超过 219.5 分（-105）
湖人队和勇士队总是在旧金山上演精彩的比赛，而这些对决往往会点亮记分牌。勇士队过去五场比赛中有四场超过了总分线，而他们在过去六场对阵湖人队的主场比赛中，总分有五场超过了总分线。我们可以期待在这场比赛中再次出现一场高比分的战斗。– 穆迪
点击查看原文：2025 NBA Rivals Week: Wemby's homecoming, LeBron vs. Steph and a finals rematch
2025 NBA Rivals Week: Wemby’s homecoming, LeBron vs. Steph and a finals rematch
The 2025 NBA Rivals Week concludes Saturday with four exciting matchups, including a 2024 Finals rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
After a dominant return to France, which included a 30-point, five-rebound outing against the Indiana Pacers, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will face off again against Tyrese Haliburton & Co. in a rematch in Paris.
Team USA Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry will go head-to-head for the second time this season as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors duel in a Western Conference battle.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last season’s exciting Western Conference semifinals that saw Anthony Edwards get the best of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in a Game 7 thriller.
Are these rivalries in the making a preview to the postseason? Which superstars will take over this weekend? Our NBA insiders answer the biggest questions surrounding these eight teams, plus the best bet for all four matchups.
Indiana Pacers vs. San Antonio Spurs, noon ET (ESPN)
What is behind the Pacers’ recent surge, and can they hold onto it for the postseason?
Although the Pacers are playing slower than last season (currently ranked seventh after finishing second in pace last season), their speed and pace covers up deficiencies on the defensive end. Make no mistake, though. Indiana has improved defensively, playing what coach Rick Carlisle has called “a demanding style” that has the team looking poised for another trip to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers own a record of 14-5 since Dec. 13, and four of those losses came against contenders such as Oklahoma City, Boston, Milwaukee and Cleveland. If they sustain the improved level of play on defense, the Pacers have a chance to ride that momentum into the playoffs.
What will it take for the Spurs to break into the top six in the West?
San Antonio isn’t far out of contention, but a couple of issues have plagued the Spurs. Offensively, San Antonio gets caught up playing the opponent’s game (a product of lapses on defense), which can lead to devastating outcomes like we saw in three straight losses before Thursday’s win over Indiana in Paris. Lack of communication defensively remains a major issue. The Spurs keep saying they can no longer use youth as an excuse for uneven performances, and prospects for moving up in the West won’t improve until San Antonio gains a level of consistency in those areas.
With one game down, Victor Wembanyama’s homecoming is___?
Shaping up to be the huge success that Wembanyama and the Spurs hoped for. Wembanyama wanted to shine in his native France, and he did just that Thursday in producing his seventh game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. In just his second NBA season, Wembanyama already ranks among the top six all time in such games. Most importantly, San Antonio secured a win propelled by a strong collective shooting night in which the Spurs demonstrated they can deal with fast-paced teams like the Pacers.
– Michael C. Wright
Best bet: Victor Wembanyama under 33.5 points and assists (-125)
Wembanyama dropped 30 points and dished out six assists in his first NBA game on French soil Thursday night. But he’s gone under this line in eight of his past 10 games. The Pacers aren’t pushovers defensively this season, especially against centers. I expect Indiana to do a much better job of containing Wemby on Saturday. – Eric Moody
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
Are Westbrook and Jokic the duo to lead the Nuggets into the playoffs?
Russell Westbrook has been an awesome story this season, a former MVP who has bounced around the league in recent years. He’s thriving alongside Jokic, averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists as a starter. It appears increasingly likely that Westbrook will remain in the starting lineup – Denver is 17-3 when he starts with Jokic – but the Nuggets aren’t relying on Westbrook to be a costar. The payroll makes that clear: Westbrook is on a veteran’s minimum deal, while Jamal Murray signed a four-year, $208 million maximum extension before the season. “We did that as an organization because we believe in him,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after Murray scored a season-high 45 points in a Jan. 14 win in Dallas, swatting at criticism stemming from the guard’s slow start this season. In case anyone forgot, Malone noted that Murray starred during the Nuggets’ 2023 championship run. Murray has averaged 20.7 points and 5.9 assists with a 57.8% true shooting percentage since the start December. If he keeps up that kind of production, the Nuggets will be contenders.
What is the biggest factor holding back the Wolves this season?
Minnesota has a terrible tendency to get stuck in the mud offensively down the stretch of games. The Timberwolves’ 29 clutch games (within five points in the last five minutes) lead the league – many of those because seemingly comfortable leads crumbled late in contests – and rank 28th in clutch offensive efficiency (98.5 points per 100 possessions). This is where Anthony Edwards has the most room to grow. He ranks last in the league in clutch plus-minus (minus-49) in large part because Edwards relies far too much on hero ball despite often being double-teamed. He has attempted the most clutch field goals (64) and 3-pointers (37) but is shooting only 39.1% from the floor and 27.0% from long range in those situations.
Edwards or Jokic: Which superstar takes over this game?
Jokic is always the best bet to take over a game because he can dominate in so many different ways. He has more triple-doubles through three quarters of games this season (14) than any other team has. This is a three-time MVP in the midst of his best statistical season, averaging career highs in scoring (30.1 points), assists (9.9) and steals (1.9), as well as the second most rebounds (13.2) of his career. Jokic is one of the league’s leading scorers and often completely controls stretches of contests without attempting a shot.
– Tim MacMahon
Best bet: Denver Nuggets -4.5 (-105)
The Nuggets are firing on all cylinders, especially with how Nikola Jokic has been playing lately. Denver is 8-1 over their past nine games and has also covered the spread in eight of those matchups. If Jokic continues to dominate and his teammates knock down their shots, the Nuggets have a great chance to take care of business. They’ll need to protect the rim, control the boards and limit turnovers to cover against the Timberwolves. The Nuggets are 6-0 against the spread in their six road games. – Moody
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
Can the Celtics catch the Cavs for the East’s top seed? Do they need to?
Boston will not be catching Cleveland for the top seed in the East – and won’t be worried about it.
The Celtics sit 5.5 games behind the Cavs in the East standings, and going into Thursday’s game were projected to finish eight games back, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. It isn’t realistic to expect Boston to make up that kind of deficit over the back half of the campaign, especially if you factor in the Celtics’ recent middling record (9-8 since Dec. 23) and taking extremely precautionary measures by resting their players throughout the season.
Ironically, the Celtics are reminiscent of the LeBron James-led Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018. Those teams were never bothered about having the top seed in the conference – they only had it in one of those four seasons – and always believed they would be fine winning a road playoff series. As the defending champions, the Celtics believe they can take down the Cavaliers in a series that begins in Cleveland. Boston will instead prioritize health down the stretch.
What will be the biggest hurdle for the Mavericks to get back to the postseason?
Health. Dereck Lively II is out for two to three months with an ankle fracture. Luka Doncic has been out for several weeks with a calf strain. Kyrie Irving is dealing with a nagging back issue – a concerning problem for any player, but particularly for a smaller guard who has had a terrific season and turns 33 in March.
Dallas had seven players sit out Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, including four of its top seven projected rotation players in Doncic, Lively, Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall. A full-strength roster is hard to sustain over any length of time, but the Mavericks have gone 5-11 since Doncic left the lineup.
This 2024 NBA Finals rematch will be ___?
Underwhelming, if for no other reason than Doncic’s injury robs the game of its luster, coupled with Boston’s average play over the past few weeks. Outside of Oklahoma City, the Mavs still have arguably the highest upside of any team in the West and also are possibly the best bet to prevent the Thunder from making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.
When this game was put on the schedule, the hope was that all of the stars on would go toe-to-toe. Doncic being hurt keeps that from happening.
– Tim Bontemps
Best bet: Mavericks +8.5 (-110)
The Celtics haven’t won more than three straight games in almost two months. Boston is 2-6 against the spread in their past eight games and has struggled to cover all season. As heavy road favorites this season, the Celtics are just 13-19-1 against the spread when favored by at least eight points. Even without Luka Doncic, I believe the Mavericks will keep this game closer than expected. – Moody
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
What will be the biggest factor for the Lakers to hold onto contention in the West?
L.A. hit the halfway mark of the season as the No. 6 seed in the West – which, if the season ended today, would come with an automatic playoff bid and allow the Lakers to avoid the play-in tournament for the first time since 2020. Any sense of satisfaction already would be premature though. “We have to have to get the mindset of not trying to hold this spot, but get better,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said Thursday. “Trying to get third, or something like that. We can’t just hold this spot and try to rely on other teams to lose.” Hachimura’s answer echoes Lakers coach JJ Redick’s constant message to his team about being process-oriented and having a growth mindset. If the Lakers learn from their first-half mistakes to become a better team, they will have a shot. If they don’t, as Hachimura mentioned, it won’t matter if they avoid the play-in or not.
What do the Warriors need to do in the coming weeks to get back into the playoff picture?
With losses in six of their past 10 games – including blowing an 18-point lead in a disappointing defeat against the Sacramento Kings this week – these are tenuous times for the franchise. To begin a turnaround, the Warriors must find a way to score beyond Stephen Curry because the more Golden State’s role players struggle with inconsistency, the more teams are able to clamp down on Curry. The Warriors are 20th in offensive efficiency – averaging 111.3 points per 100 possessions – and while they are 11th in defense, still have a negative net rating. Dennis Schroder, the team’s in-season addition, hasn’t had the impact they were hoping, averaging 10.4 points on 35.9% (28.6% from 3).
LeBron vs. Curry: Which superstar will show out in their second matchup of the regular season?
Why not both? Curry and James were equally superb in their first meeting this season on Christmas Day, with James posting 31 points and 10 assists to edge the Warrior star’s 38-point performance in a two-point win for L.A. The two all-time greats have been getting the best out of one another for more than a decade, and that should continue as we witness what could be only a handful of matchups left.
– Dave McMenamin
Best bet: Over 219.5 (-105)
The Lakers and Warriors always put on a show in San Francisco, and these matchups tend to light up the scoreboard. Four of the Warriors’ past five games have hit the over, and the total has gone over in five of their past six home games against the Lakers. We can expect another high-scoring battle in this one. – Moody
By NBA insiders | ESPN, via ESPN