By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-04-03 12:27:32
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。
两队都有主要球员缺阵，但马刺队仍然拥有足够的实力来击败轮休了全部首发阵容的掘金队。
得益于赛程安排，马刺队在丹佛的比赛中终结了五连败。在周二背靠背第一场对阵森林狼的比赛中，掘金队经历了两次加时赛的失利后，选择轮休了他们的全部首发阵容。这让缺少德文·瓦塞尔和索汉的圣安东尼奥队得以爆冷，在客场以 113-106 获胜。
正如预期的那样，比赛的开局令人难以卒视。双方都缺少了多名常规轮换球员。掘金队在半场进攻中完全不知所措，大部分时间都只是站着，直到有人投篮。马刺队则试图在内线寻找他们的老将，并且打得没有太多速度。圣安东尼奥显然更清楚自己在做什么，尽管并不精彩，但他们早早取得了领先。替补球员上场后，比赛变得更有趣了，主要是因为节奏加快，并且缺乏凝聚力的情况显得更加常见。布雷克·韦斯利积极地寻找投篮机会，成为首节的亮点，最终银黑军团领先 12 分结束。
马刺队的防守沟通不畅，在第二节开始时犯了一些可以理解的错误，但进攻弥补了这一点，桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利在好与坏的方面都发挥了重要作用。马拉基·布兰纳姆，最后一位上场的球员，展示了他的得分能力，单节砍下 11 分，总的来说，客队看起来控制着比赛。然而，随着时间的推移，丹佛队开始在进攻端找到更多成功，首先是在没有护筐者的情况下不断冲击油漆区，然后在俾斯麦·比永博重新上场后命中关键的三分球。两队在本节都得到了 33 分，中场休息时领先优势保持在 12 分，而一度曾达到 20 分。
当你打得比对手好时，让他们有机会留在比赛中总是很危险的，而这在第三节反噬了马刺队。掘金队带着活力走出更衣室，并且更具侵略性，强行进入油漆区。马刺队犯规很多，虽然丹佛队错失了一些罚球，但这让他们早早进入了奖励状态。由于圣安东尼奥试图保护油漆区，射手们被放空，他们命中了一些三分球。拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克仿佛时光倒流，在快攻中甚至在半场进攻中都成为了一股主导力量，他的投篮手感火热。当出现投篮不中时，主队会积极拼抢进攻篮板。在尘埃落定后，客队的领先优势在进入第四节时只剩下三分。
威斯布鲁克在最后一节开始时休息了一段时间，但掘金队凭借势头紧咬比分，因为马刺队继续被对手在拼抢上压制。丹佛队迅速取得领先，之后克里斯·保罗和乔丹·麦克劳克林命中了一些跳投，重新夺回领先优势。这位前 MVP 不久后重新上场，但威斯布鲁克当时已经耗尽了能量。圣安东尼奥队很好地限制了他拿球，保罗接管了比赛。本可以有一个更激动人心的结局，但双方明显的局限性阻止了银黑军团彻底终结比赛，也阻止了掘金队发起反击。最终，马刺队在最后时刻做得足够好，赢得了一场在赛季开始前很难预测的胜利。
比赛笔记
- 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle) 距离三双还差一次助攻，他得到 15 分、15 个篮板和 9 次助攻。他的投篮次数也多于得分，并且没有对防守产生重大影响。他的表现有起有落，但总的来说，他通常能够成为一个净收益。
- 朱利安·尚帕涅在他重返首发阵容的比赛中几乎做到了所有事情，得到 14 分、4 个篮板、2 次助攻、1 次抢断和 1 次盖帽。如果他的投篮能够更加稳定，他有可能成为第五名首发球员，但他不断表现出他可能不是一个关键时刻的终结者。当掘金队迫使他做出决定时，他在关键时刻表现挣扎。
- 克里斯·保罗和哈里森·巴恩斯分别得到 17 分和 20 分。他们最近表现出色，并且仍然没有缺席任何一场比赛。他们两人都有可能明年都不在球队阵容中，但他们的加入是一次巨大的成功，即使这个赛季并没有按计划进行。
- 布雷克·韦斯利本赛季第六次得分上双。他命中了几个上篮，并且三次三分球全部命中，但掘金队仍然在一段时间内用他们的中锋防守他，这表明对手仍然认为他不是一个外线威胁。马穆克拉什维利得到两双，并且像往常一样充满活力，但在防守端表现挣扎。这两名球员都在为球队阵容中的一个位置而努力，并且最近的表现大多令人满意。
- 正在寻求留在联盟的老将，比永博和麦克劳克林，打出了截然不同的比赛。比永博被乔丹彻底击败，乔丹在内线占据统治地位，并且他无法弥补球队在篮板球方面的不足。麦克劳克林则做到了让他在联盟中生存至今的事情：在不超出自己能力范围的情况下做出足够的贡献。
精彩瞬间
看到马拉基·布兰纳姆每次有机会就投篮真是太搞笑了。他打了 20 分钟，出手了 15 次投篮。有些投篮是在流畅的进攻中完成的，但马拉基显然决心尽可能多地出手，即使有其他选择。因为他对投篮的执着，他赢得了这个位置。
布兰纳姆进球 pic.twitter.com/zPS4shmJYL
— 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (@ spurs) 2025 年 4 月 3 日
下一场比赛：周五对阵克利夫兰骑士队
马刺队将在开启四场客场之旅之前，主场迎战东部最佳球队。他们在丹佛终结连败是件好事，否则连败可能会持续一段时间。
点击查看原文：Spurs prevail over Nuggets in clash of severely shorthanded teams
Spurs prevail over Nuggets in clash of severely shorthanded teams
Both teams had major absences, but the Spurs had enough talent left to take care of a Denver squad that rested their entire starting lineup.
The Spurs, with some help from the schedule, snapped their five-game losing streak with a victory in Denver. The Nuggets rested their entire starting lineup after a two-overtime loss in the first game of a back-to-back on Tuesday against the Timberwolves, which allowed a San Antonio squad missing Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan to pull off the upset, winning 113-106 on the road.
The start of the game was unwatchable, as expected for a matchup in which both teams were missing several of their normal rotation players. The Nuggets had absolutely no clue what to do in half-court offense, and they largely stood around until someone fired up a shot. The Spurs were trying to go to their veterans in the post and were not playing with a lot of pace. San Antonio clearly had a better idea of what it was doing, and despite not being exciting, they got an early lead. Things got more entertaining once the benches checked in, mostly because the pace went up and the lack of cohesion seemed more familiar. An aggressive Blake Wesley, looking for his shot, was the highlight of the opening frame, which ended with the Silver and Black up 12.
The Spurs’ defense had poor communication and made some understandable mistakes to start the second, but the offense made up for it, with Sandro Mamukelashvili featuring heavily both in the good and the bad. Malaki Branham, the last available player to check in, showed off his scoring acumen by dropping 11 points in the frame, and in general, the visitors looked in control of the game. As the minutes passed, however, Denver started to find more success on offense, first attacking the paint relentlessly when there was no rim protector and then hitting big outside shots once Bismack Biyombo checked back in. Both teams scored 33 in the frame, and the lead remained at 12 at the break after being as large as 20 at one point.
Allowing teams to stick around when you are outplaying them is always dangerous, and it came back to haunt the Spurs in the third quarter. The Nuggets came out of the locker room with energy and were the aggressors, forcing their way to the paint. The Spurs fouled a lot, and while Denver missed some of those free throws, it allowed them to get into the bonus early. As San Antonio tried to protect the paint, shooters were left open, and they made a few threes. Russell Westbrook turned back the clock and was a dominant force on the break and even in the half-court, when his shot was falling. When there were misses, the home team crashed the offensive glass. After the dust had settled, the visitors’ lead was only three heading into the fourth.
Westbrook took a break to start the final frame, but the Nuggets had momentum on their side and kept it close, as the Spurs continued to be outhustled. Denver quickly took a lead before Chris Paul and Jordan McLaughlin hit some jumpers to reclaim it. The former MVP checked back in soon after, but Westbrook had run out of gas at that point. San Antonio did a good job of getting the ball out of his hands, and Paul took over. There could have been a more exciting ending, but the obvious limitations from both teams prevented the Silver and Black from closing it out decisively and the Nuggets from mounting a comeback. Ultimately, the Spurs did enough late to come away with a win that would have been hard to predict looking at the schedule before the season.
Game notes
- Stephon Castle was an assist away from a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. He also had more shots than points and made no significant impact on defense. His performances have ups and downs, but in the aggregate, he normally manages to be a net positive.
- Julian Champagnie did a little bit of everything in his return to the starting lineup, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. He could potentially be a fifth starter if his shot gets more consistent, but he keeps showing that being a closer might not be in the cards for him. He struggled down the stretch when the Nuggets forced him to make decisions.
- Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes finished with 17 and 20 points, respectively. They have been playing well recently and have still not missed a single game. It’s possible neither is on the roster next year, but their additions have been a resounding success, even though the season has not gone as planned.
- Blake Wesley scored in double digits for the sixth time this season. He hit a couple of layups and made his three three-point attempts, but the Nuggets still put their center on him for a stretch, which shows opponents still think he’s not an outside threat. Mamu had a double-double and was as energetic as usual, but struggled on defense. Those two are auditioning for a roster spot and have mostly made a decent case for themselves recently.
- The veterans who are looking to stay in the league, Biyombo and McLaughlin, had completely different games. Biyombo was thoroughly outplayed by Jordan, who dominated inside, and he couldn’t make up for the team’s lack of side on the boards. McLaughlin did what has kept them in the league for this long: do enough to contribute while staying within himself.
Play of the game
It was hilarious to see Malaki Branham shoot every time he got a chance. He played 20 minutes and got 15 field goal attempts up. Some came in the flow of the offense, but Malaki was clearly determined to let it fly as often as possible, even if there were other options. Because of his commitment to chucking, he gets this spot.
Branham Bucket pic.twitter.com/zPS4shmJYL
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) April 3, 2025
Next game: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday
The Spurs will host the best team in the East before going on a four-game road trip. It’s a good thing they snapped their losing streak in Denver, because it could have lasted for a while otherwise.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock