By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-04-07 09:49:17
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。
马刺队正式无缘季后赛，未能完成在波特兰的逆转。
马刺队慢热的开局，像本赛季的许多次一样，让他们失去了一场本可以赢下的比赛。面对严重缺兵少将的开拓者队，他们早早陷入困境，虽然几次在比分上迫近，但始终未能翻过这座山，最终以109-120失利。
开拓者队缺少了半支球队，但他们在比赛初期仍然是更有凝聚力的球队，这也是他们最终获胜的主要原因。当马刺队在第一节的防守端出现沟通失误时，波特兰专注于压迫对手的持球者，给进攻制造困难，并让多诺万·克林根(Donovan Clingan)在内线游弋，而放空俾斯麦·比永博(Bismack Biyombo)。比永博得到了一些分数，但他每次投篮，都感觉是防守方的一次胜利。唯一让圣安尼奥的进攻在首节保持活力的，是手感火热的德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)，但一旦他冷却下来，随之而来的是近五分钟的得分荒。另一方面，主队信任达拉诺·班顿(Dalano Banton)能够突破马刺队漏洞百出的外线防守，而他做到了。首节过后，开拓者队领先15分。
眼见马刺队毫无生气，米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)决定更多地启用替补席上的球员，派上了马拉基·布兰纳姆(Malaki Branham)和乔丹·麦克劳克林(Jordan McLaughlin)。最初，这一举动收到了回报，因为球队的能量有所提升，良好的防守转化为攻防转换和快速进攻，这有助于缓解他们在阵地战中的挣扎。与此同时，正如主队有意识地让比永博成为进攻的重要组成部分一样，圣安尼奥的反击策略是放空图马尼·卡马拉(Toumani Camara)，相信他不稳定的跳投不会让他们付出代价。这个赌注得到了回报，这位防守悍将的投篮失误率很高，开拓者队的进攻也随之停滞。两支球队的状态都不好，几位常规贡献者都表现挣扎，但第二节属于马刺队，他们将分差缩小到9分进入中场休息。
马刺队在第三节摸索出了一些进攻的方法。主要是克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)意识到，他需要更加主动，以惩罚波特兰诱导传球给比永博的策略。“控球之神”在多诺万·克林根头上投了一些跳投，并保持更长时间的运球，以找到空位的球员。对圣安尼奥不利的是，卡马拉开始命中一些投篮，班顿仍然是一个麻烦，开拓者队在得分方面毫不费力地跟上了。这是一场有时很丑陋的比赛，但令人惊讶的是，对于两支在当晚正式无缘季后赛的球队来说，这场四月份的对决却充满了策略性。大个子球员在决定谁表现更好方面发挥了巨大作用，错误的组合会改变势头。米奇·约翰逊选择了错误的阵容来结束第三节，一度只有5分的分差扩大到了13分。
马刺队在第一节给自己挖的坑正在扼杀他们的胜利机会，只有在第四节的大爆发才能让他们完成逆转。值得称赞的是，他们尝试了，向一支缺乏经验的波特兰队施加压力，但后者就是拒绝崩盘。哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)打出了关键表现，马刺队在这一节拿下了34分。问题是，他们也让对手得到了同样的分数。在进球后发球时出现的非受迫性失误、不及时的进攻篮板和本可以让他们占据优势的投篮失误都注定了他们的失败。尽管在最后三节的得分都超过了开拓者队，但他们还是未能获胜。他们最接近的时候是在最后三分钟时只落后两分，但他们未能强势收尾，并以一场本可以避免的失利开始了他们的四场客场之旅。
比赛笔记
- 保罗、比永博和巴恩斯都得分上双，打出了不错的比赛。考虑到球队的缺席情况，这些经验丰富的首发球员在保持球队的组织性和尽可能地保持竞争力方面做得很好。
- 德文·瓦塞尔继续在赛季末表现出色。他得到21分、7个篮板、2次助攻和3次抢断。瓦塞尔似乎更适应在短时间内积极寻找投篮机会，而在其他时间则将球权交给队友，专注于防守。
- 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔得到22分、7个篮板和5次助攻。他在第四节表现出色，帮助马刺队迫近比分。他也像往常一样遇到了困难，五次三分球尝试只命中一次，并出现了四次失误。对于卡斯尔来说，即将到来的这个休赛期将非常重要，他需要提高自己的投篮能力，才能在下赛季与达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)搭档。
- 最近获得最多上场时间的四名替补球员中有三人表现挣扎。凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)在进攻端的表现非常糟糕，11投1中，并且没有获得罚球机会。桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利(Sandro Mamukelashvili)的三分球全部失手，因此约翰逊教练在下半场的小个阵容中选择了巴恩斯担任中锋。布雷克·韦斯利(Blake Wesley)很活跃，但失去了控制。朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)也好不到哪里去，但他至少命中了几个三分球。
- 由于其他替补球员表现挣扎，麦克劳克林和布兰纳姆获得了更多的上场机会，并充分利用了这些机会。约翰逊称赞他们在上场时改变了球队的能量。麦克劳克林的统计数据并不能反映他在10分钟的出场时间里产生的积极影响有多大，但布兰纳姆在23分钟的出场时间里14投7中得到17分，这表明这位年轻后卫打出了本赛季最佳的比赛之一。作为奖励，他打满了整个第四节。
比赛最佳回合
克里斯·保罗在本场比赛前整个赛季只有14次上篮，但他第15次上篮却非常精彩。
可怜的克林根 https://t.co/eeOx3jfexp pic.twitter.com/3gkzGxJocW
— Bala (@ BalaPattySZN) 2025年4月7日
下一场比赛：周二客场挑战洛杉矶快船队
马刺队将访问科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)、詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)和出人意料的优秀且有趣的快船队。
点击查看原文：Spurs can’t overcome terrible first quarter in loss to the Trail Blazers
Spurs can’t overcome terrible first quarter in loss to the Trail Blazers
The Spurs, now officially eliminated from postseason contention, failed to complete the comeback in Portland.
The Spurs’ slow start, as it has many times this season, cost them a winnable game. They got into a hole early against a severely shorthanded Trail Blazers team and while they got close in the scoreboard a few times, they couldn’t get over the hump, ultimately losing 120-109.
The Blazers, missing half their team, still were the more cohesive team early in the game, which was the main reason they emerged victorious. While the Spurs suffered from miscommunication on the defensive end in the first quarter, Portland focused on pressuring their opponent’s ball handlers to make everything tough on offense and had Donovan Clingan roam in the paint while leaving Bismack Biyombo open. Biyombo scored some buckets, but every time he took a shot, it felt like a win for the defense. The only thing keeping San Antonio’s offense alive in the opening frame was a hot-shooting Devin Vassell, but once he cooled off, an almost five-minute scoring drought followed. On the other end, the hosts trusted Dalano Banton to break down a leaky perimeter defense on drives, and he delivered. After one, the Blazers led by 15.
With the Spurs showing little signs of life, Mitch Johnson decided to go deeper into his bench and sent in Malaki Branham and Jordan McLaughlin. It paid off initially, as the energy improved and good defense turned to offense for the Silver and Black in transition and early offense, which helped alleviate their struggles in the half-court. Meanwhile, just as the home team had made Biyombo a big part of the offense by design, San Antonio countered by leaving Toumani Camara open from outside, trusting his inconsistent jumper wouldn’t make them pay. The gamble paid off, as the defensive ace missed more often than not and the Blazers’ offense sputtered. Neither team was playing well, and several regular contributors struggled, but the second frame belonged to the Spurs, which trimmed the deficit to nine heading into the break.
The Spurs figured some things out on offense in the third quarter. Mostly, Chris Paul realized that he needed to be more aggressive to punish Portland from baiting passes to Biyombo. The Point God took some jumpers over Donovan Clingan and kept his dribble alive longer to find open players. Unfortunately for San Antonio, Camara started to hit some shots, Banton remained a problem, and the Blazers kept up easily in the scoring department. It was an ugly game at times that was surprisingly strategically played for an April matchup between two teams that ended the night officially eliminated from postseason contention. The big men played a huge part in determining who was doing well, and the wrong combinations swung the momentum. Mitch Johnson picked the wrong unit to close the third, and what at one point was just a five-point deficit climbed to 13.
The hole the Spurs dug themselves in in the first quarter was killing their chances of a victory, and only a big fourth quarter would allow them to pull off the comeback. To their credit, they tried, applying pressure to an inexperienced Portland team that just refused to fold. Harrison Barnes and Stephon Castle made big plays, and the Silver and Black dropped 34 points in the frame. The problem is that they also allowed the same amount. Unforced turnovers inbounding after made buckets, untimely offensive boards, and missed shots that could have given them the edge doomed them. Despite outscoring the Blazers in the final three periods, they couldn’t prevail. The closest they got was to trail by just two entering the final three minutes, but they couldn’t finish strong and kicked off their four-game road trip with an avoidable loss.
Game notes
- Paul, Biyombo, and Barnes all scored in double digits and had good games. The veteran starters have done a good job of keeping the team organized and as competitive as possible, considering the absences.
- Devin Vassell continues to play well to close the season. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Vassell seems more comfortable aggressively looking for his shot for short spurts while deferring to others for stretches and focusing on defense.
- Stephon Castle had 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He was huge in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs get close. He also had his usual struggles, missing four of his five three-point attempts and logging four turnovers. This upcoming offseason will be a big one for Castle, who needs to get better as a shooter to start next season next to De’Aaron Fox.
- Three of the four bench players who have gotten the most minutes recently struggled. Keldon Johnson had an awful game on offense, going 1-for-11 from the field and getting no trips to the line. Sandro Mamukelashvili missed all of his three-pointers, so Coach Johnson went with Barnes at center in his small lineups in the second half. Blake Wesley was active but out of control. Julian Champagnie wasn’t much better, but he at least hit a couple of threes.
- With other bench players struggling, McLaughlin and Branham got an opportunity to get more playing time and made the most of it. Johnson credited them with changing the energy when they checked in. McLaughlin’s stat line doesn’t reflect how big of a positive impact he made in his 10 minutes, but Branham’s 17 points in 14 shots in 23 minutes show that the young guard had one of his best games of the season. As a reward, he got to play the entire fourth quarter.
Play of the game
Chris Paul only had 14 layups in the entire season coming into this game, but his 15th was a beauty.
poor clingan https://t.co/eeOx3jfexp pic.twitter.com/3gkzGxJocW
— Bala (@ BalaPattySZN) April 7, 2025
Next game: at Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday
The Spurs will visit Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and the surprisingly good and fun Clippers next.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock