By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-11-20 23:41:46
2025年11月20日，星期四，圣安东尼奥，马刺在冰霜银行中心以135-126击败亚特兰大老鹰队后，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋戴维·琼斯·加西亚（25号）向欢呼的球迷致意。
马刺队刚刚在周日下午结束了对阵萨克拉门托的比赛并取得胜利，但还有一场篮球赛值得关注。
在冰霜银行中心主队更衣室的大屏幕上，来自密西西比州北部一座几乎空无一人的发展联盟球馆里，戴维·琼斯·加西亚 (David Jones Garcia) 正打得手感滚烫，篮网仿佛都在燃烧。
随着琼斯·加西亚一球接一球地命中，聚集在奥斯汀马刺队对阵孟菲斯拼搏队直播画面前的马刺球员越来越多。
“戴维简直打疯了！”当琼斯·加西亚为奥斯汀队再得两分，将个人得分刷新至31分时，朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 欢呼道。当时更衣室里没人能预料到，但戴维·琼斯·加西亚的个人表演秀很快就要回到圣安东尼奥了。
由于后场遭遇伤病潮，急需补充阵容深度的马刺队在那场比赛后，将琼斯·加西亚召回了NBA。
孟菲斯灰熊队——尤其是亚特兰大老鹰队——恐怕希望马刺没有这么做。
这位23岁的琼斯·加西亚在马刺队过去的两场胜利中都证明了自己是改变比赛的关键人物，在周四以135-126力克老鹰队的比赛中，他更是打出了得分（12分）、助攻（6次）、篮板（5个）、抢断（3次）、盖帽（1次）和上场时间（19分钟）的全方位赛季新高。
“这就像梦想成真，”周四，当这场旋风般的比赛尘埃落定时，琼斯·加西亚说道。
两天前，琼斯·加西亚在对阵灰熊的比赛中获得了他NBA生涯中第一次有意义的上场时间。他那显而易见的紧张感，很快就成了马刺更衣室里的笑料。
“赛后我们还拿他开玩笑，因为他刚上场的时候运球都有点发抖，”教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说。
约翰逊对琼斯·加西亚在那晚马刺战胜孟菲斯的比赛中带来的能量总体上感到满意，但让他惊讶的是，这个看似沉着冷静的多米尼加人竟然会如此紧张。
这背后是有原因的。
“我当时确实很紧张，”琼斯·加西亚承认。
但现在不了。
“他绝对是做出了回应，”在琼斯·加西亚奇袭了老鹰队后，后卫德文特·格雷厄姆 (Devonte’ Graham) 说道。“要克服那种紧张感，没有比抓住机会更好的办法了。”
对于一个如果马刺队阵容齐整，本应在周四于雪松公园市打一场G联赛比赛的球员来说，这晚的表现相当不错。
周四，马刺战胜老鹰队，戴维·琼斯·加西亚就自己的出色表现发表看法 pic.twitter.com/4DrbPbg8uL
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) November 21, 2025
由于球队主要的持球手斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 都在伤病名单上，马刺队急需身高6尺4寸的琼斯·加西亚驰援圣安东尼奥。
老鹰队完全没料到他的出现。
“这说明了你必须为得到的任何机会做好准备，”前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 说。“他准备好了。”
琼斯·加西亚确实将本周视为一个机遇。
是的，为了他自己，但也是为了他的球队。
“我把它看作一个帮助球队继续赢下比赛的机会，”琼斯·加西亚说。
琼斯·加西亚的大学生涯颠沛流离，辗转于德保罗大学、圣约翰大学和孟菲斯大学。在去年夏天与马刺队签下一份双向合同之前，他在G联赛度过了自己第一个职业赛季。
在周二战胜孟菲斯之前，琼斯·加西亚仅代表马刺队出战过3场NBA比赛，总计上场11分钟。
即便如此，他本可以当场心满意足地退役。
2023年2月，琼斯·加西亚曾向他弥留之际的父亲承诺，有朝一日他至少要踏上NBA的赛场。
他不仅兑现了誓言，甚至做得更好。
“我为自己感到骄傲，”琼斯·加西亚说。“我希望我的父亲也为我感到骄傲。”
过去两场比赛，马刺队外线人手短缺，而琼斯·加西亚所做的远不止是登场亮相。
在对阵灰熊的比赛中，他出战7分钟，虽然只得到不起眼的两分和两次助攻，但赛后却赢得了教练米奇·约翰逊的主动赞扬。
“他的技术统计不会登上体育中心，”约翰逊在那场比赛后说。“但这个家伙打了7分钟，并且打出了我们希望看到的那种篮球风格。”
琼斯·加西亚在周四的比赛中再次于上半场获得出场机会，并用两分钟内连得7分的表现作为回应。
在对阵老鹰队的关键第四节，琼斯·加西亚重返赛场，并再次改变了比赛，这次是在防守端。
他在最后一节贡献了全部三次抢断，帮助马刺队遏制了老鹰队的反扑势头。
第一次抢断助攻杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 完成扣篮。第二次抢断则助攻德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 上演灌篮。
第三次抢断是琼斯·加西亚的最爱。他从戴森·丹尼尔斯 (Dyson Daniels) 手中完成抢断，随后飞奔上演双手暴扣，在比赛还剩五分钟时帮助马刺队以120-105领先。
马刺的替补席果不其然地陷入了狂欢。
“他是个很棒的孩子，”米奇·约翰逊说。“他有一种特质，让队友们都非常喜欢他。”
四天前，马刺队员们还只能在700英里之外欣赏琼斯·加西亚的场上表现。
周四，他们很高兴能当面向这位队内最高龄的新秀表示祝贺。
“打得漂亮，宝贝，”凯尔登·约翰逊在琼斯·加西亚离开球馆时对他说。“你改变了比赛的走向。”
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) and guard De’Aaron Fox (4) embrace following their 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) and San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox (4) embrace San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) after their 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
The crowd goes wild as San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) dunks on the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 135-126.
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) walks off the court to a cheering crowd after the Spurs’ 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) answers questions in Spanish after the Spurs’ 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) guards Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) under the net during the fourth quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 135-126.
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。
点击查看原文：How Spurs rookie David Jones Garcia proved he belongs against Hawks
How Spurs rookie David Jones Garcia proved he belongs against Hawks
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) gestures towards cheering fans following the Spurs’ 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
The Spurs had just finished off a Sunday afternoon victory over Sacramento, but there was still basketball left to watch.
On the big screen in the home locker room of the Frost Bank Center, David Jones Garcia was absolutely setting the nets ablaze in a mostly vacant G League arena in northern Mississippi.
As Jones Garcia threw in bucket after bucket, the crowd of Spurs players gathered in front of the Austin Spurs-Memphis Hustle live stream swelled.
“David is balling out!” Julian Champagnie cheered as Jones Garcia scored two more of his 31 points for the Austin squad. Nobody in the room could have known it at the time, but the David Jones Garcia Show would soon be on its way back to San Antonio.
In need of emergency depth for their injury strapped backcourt, the Spurs recalled Jones Garcia to the NBA in the aftermath of that game.
The Memphis Grizzlies – and especially the Atlanta Hawks – wish they wouldn’t have.
The 23-year-old Jones Garcia proved a game-changer in each of the Spurs’ past two victories, culminating in Thursday’s 135-126 besting of Atlanta when he set season highs in points (12), assists (six), rebounds (five), steals (three), blocks (one) and minutes (19).
“It’s like a dream come true,” Jones Garcia said after the whirlwind passed Thursday.
Two nights earlier, Jones Garcia logged the first meaningful minutes of his NBA career against the Grizzlies. His unmistakable anxiousness promptly became the butt of jokes in the Spurs’ locker room.
“We were joking with him after the game because he was dribbling kind of shaky when he first went in,” coach Mitch Johnson said.
Johnson was overall pleased with the energy Jones Garcia brought to the Spurs’ victory over Memphis that night, but was surprised the seemingly unflappable Dominican looked so nervous.
There was a good reason for that.
“I was nervous,” Jones Garcia said.
Not anymore.
“He definitely answered,” guard De’Aaron Fox said after Jones Garcia ambushed Atlanta. “There’s no other way to get past that nervousness than getting that opportunity.”
It was not a bad night for a player who likely would have been toiling in a G League game in Cedar Park on Thursday had the Spurs been at full strength.
David Jones-Garcia on his strong game in a Spurs win over the Hawks on Thursday pic.twitter.com/4DrbPbg8uL
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) November 21, 2025
With top ball-handling options Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on the injured list, the Spurs needed the 6-foot-4 Jones Garcia in San Antonio.
The Hawks never saw him coming.
“It just shows you’ve got to be ready for any opportunity you get,” forward Keldon Johnson said. “He was ready.”
Jones Garcia indeed viewed this week as an opportunity.
For himself, yes, but also for his team.
“I took it as an opportunity to help the team keep winning basketball games,” Jones Garcia said.
Jones Garcia spent a nomadic college career bouncing between DePaul, St. John’s and Memphis, and played his first professional season in the G League before signing a two-way deal with the Spurs last summer.
Before Tuesday’s victory over Memphis, Jones Garcia had appeared in three NBA games with the Spurs totaling 11 minutes.
Even then, he could have retired on the spot a happy man.
In February 2023, Jones Garcia had made a promise to his dying father that he would at least step foot on an NBA court one day.
He has made good on that vow and then some.
“I’m proud of myself,” Jones Garcia said. “I hope my dad is proud of me as well.”
With the Spurs undermanned on the perimeter the past two games, Jones Garcia did more than simply show up.
He logged seven minutes against the Grizzlies, scoring a modest two points with two assists but nevertheless earning unprompted praise from his coach afterward.
“His box score will not be on SportsCenter,” Mitch Johnson said after that contest. “But the guy played seven minutes and he played the brand of basketball we want to play.”
Jones Garcia earned another first-half look Thursday, and responded by scoring seven consecutive points in a two-minute stretch.
Jones Garcia returned for key fourth-quarter minutes against the Hawks and again changed the game, this time on the defensive end.
He swiped all three of his steals in his final frame to help the Spurs turn back a Hawks’ rally.
The first led to a Jeremy Sochan dunk. The second led to a Devin Vassell jam.
The third was Jones Garcia’s favorite. He picked the pocket of Dyson Daniels and scampered for a two-handed slam to give the Spurs a 120-105 lead with five minutes remaining.
The Spurs’ bench went predictably “party like it’s 1999” nuts.
“He’s a heck of a kid,” Mitch Johnson said. “He has this way about him where the guys just love him.”
Four days earlier, the Spurs could only admire Jones Garcia’s hoops handiwork from 700 miles away.
On Thursday, they were happy to congratulate the team’s oldest rookie in person.
“Way to play, baby,” Keldon Johnson told Jones Garcia on his way out of the arena. “You changed the game.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News
