By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-11-22 14:46:20
在2025年11月20日星期四于圣安东尼奥霜冻银行中心举行的一场NBA比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) (7号) 正在寻找传球机会，亚特兰大老鹰队中锋克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porzingis) (8号) 在旁防守。最终，圣安东尼奥马刺队以135-126击败了亚特兰大老鹰队。
毫无疑问，在维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 因小腿拉伤缺阵的三场比赛里，马刺队的面貌发生了一些变化。
我们再也看不到七尺长人投出的后撤步三分，马刺队的大个子们也再没有尝试过背后运球，对手的投篮更没有被封盖到二层看台。
至于自抛自扣的打板空接？想都别想了。
那位临危受命、顶替马刺队这位身高7英尺4英寸常驻“外星人”的凡人球员，对此有着自己的独到见解。
“我主要把这归咎于战术安排，”卢克·科内特一本正经地说道。
自文班亚马进入伤病名单以来的一周里，马刺队唯一没有改变的，就是他们仍在不断地为自己的“胜利”一栏添砖加瓦。
在文班亚马身着便装观战的情况下，马刺队取得了3胜0负的战绩，接连在主场战胜了萨克拉门托、孟菲斯和亚特兰大，在西部联盟的早期排位战中依旧占据有利位置。
其中两场胜利，还是在首发后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 也因髋屈肌拉伤进入伤病名单的情况下取得的。
在这段饱受伤病困扰的时期，马刺队的座右铭是：砥砺前行。
“我们现在使用的阵容，甚至是从未在训练中、训练营或季前赛里磨合过的，”后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 说道，他在文班亚马缺阵期间场均贡献26.7分和7.7次助攻。“你必须努力尽快地融合在一起，能在磨合的同时赢下比赛，感觉棒极了。”
在本赛季之前，马刺在没有文班亚马的比赛中战绩为16胜31负。他们扭转这一颓势的能力，让球队在15场比赛后取得了11胜4负的战绩，这是自2014-15赛季以来的首次。
马刺队希望在周日能够延续他们残阵取胜的势头，届时他们将前往菲尼克斯，开启一段四连客之旅。正是在那里，太阳队在11月2日给了他们赛季首败。
马刺队接下来的八场比赛中有七场是客场作战，本赛季他们在客场的战绩为3胜2负。
“保护好主场固然重要，但当你踏上客场之旅时，全队必须更加团结，”福克斯说。“你必须走进对手的地盘，然后努力吸走那里的能量。”
当文班亚马在阵时，这位21岁的全明星球员是联盟中最擅长偷走对手主场球迷“灵魂”的球员之一。
他是马刺队的得分、篮板和盖帽王。他的空缺，实在难以填补。
不出所料，马刺队并没有试图用某一个球员来取代他。
身高7英尺1英寸的科内特是第一个顶上来的球员，他从替补席进入首发五虎，填补了文班亚马的位置。
马刺队在休赛期从波士顿签下这位30岁的球员，正是为了应对这样的突发情况。
“我只是像往常一样打球，”科内特说。“显然，上场时间和阵容搭配会有一些变化。你只需要沉浸在比赛中，找到帮助球队赢球的方法。”
在对阵萨克拉门托的首场首发比赛中，科内特交出了一份13分、11个篮板并有3次封盖的两双数据。在马刺队接下来的两场胜利中，他在数据统计上的表现不那么亮眼，对阵孟菲斯和亚特兰大的比赛中总共得到5分和7个篮板。
在替补时间的安排上，马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 进行了混搭，时而使用6英尺11英寸的凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk) 担任空间型大个子，时而让6英尺8英寸的杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 出任小球中锋。
自从夏季从华盛顿交易而来，奥利尼克在他首次获得有意义的上场时间里，打出了自己的高光时刻。
这位34岁的老将在对阵国王队的比赛中送出8次助攻，并在对阵灰熊队的比赛中得到10分。
在2025年11月16日星期日于圣安东尼奥举行的一场NBA比赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯利·奥利尼克 (8号) 带球突破萨克拉门托国王队前锋德鲁·尤班克斯 (Drew Eubanks) (19号) 的防守。圣安东尼奥最终以123-110击败萨克拉门托。
“你把球交给他，你永远不知道接下来会发生什么，”前锋哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 说道。“可能是一次助攻，可能是一次上篮，可能是一记三分，也可能是一个假手递手。他总能用自己的节奏找到创造机会的方法。”
在周四对阵老鹰队的比赛中，当第四节局势有失控风险时，约翰逊教练派上了索汉，组成了一套小个阵容。
这个阵容——还包括了充满活力的菜鸟后卫大卫·琼斯·加西亚 (David Jones Garcia)——用其防守压迫性将比赛的势头重新拉回了马刺队这边。
琼斯·加西亚在那场比赛中的三次抢断全部来自第四节，并且每一次都直接转化为马刺队的快攻扣篮。
“我当时并不知道这个阵容会这么奏效，”约翰逊谈到这套小个阵容时说。“所以，我就一直坚持用了下去。”
这正是马刺队在缺少文班亚马的这段时期（很可能还会持续几周）赖以生存的方式。
想尽一切办法，总有办法。
“我们有很多球员缺席了一段时间，但我们仍在想方设法赢下比赛，”福克斯说。“我们绝对感觉到，这支球队有些特别之处。”
对于像科内特这样被委以重任、去替代那位“不可替代者”的球员来说，这意味着只做自己能做到的，而不为自己做不到的感到抱歉。
“显然，（文班亚马）是我们战术体系中的一个巨大焦点，”科内特说。“我始终只是努力赢下眼前的这个回合，无论在每一场比赛中这意味着什么。”
San Antonio Spurs’ Bismack Biyombo, from left, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama and assistant coach Scott King watch their team take 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.
Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) pulls down a rebound over San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) and center Luke Kornet (7) during an NBA game at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) lays the ball in over the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk (8) pushes the ball away from Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during an NBA game 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 Jeremy Sochan (10) dunks over Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) and forward Jalen Johnson (1) 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.
San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) looks to get past Sacramento Kings’ guard Russell Westbrook (18) during the first half of an NBA game in San Antonio, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. San Antonio beat Sacramento 123-110.
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 the Spurs have been able to survive Wemby's absence so far
How the Spurs have been able to survive Wemby’s absence so far
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) looks to make a pass as Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) guards him during an NBA game at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 135-126.
There is no denying things have looked a bit different for the Spurs in the three games Victor Wembanyama has missed with a calf strain.
There have been no step-back 3-pointers fired up by 7-footers. There have been zero behind-the-back dribbles attempted by Spurs big men, and none of their opponents’ shots have been blocked into the mezzanine level.
Self alley-oops thrown off the backboard? Forget about it.
The mortal human tasked with filling in for the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 resident alien has a good idea why.
“I blame that mainly on the play calling,” Luke Kornet deadpanned.
The one place things have not changed for the Spurs in the week since Wembanyama went on the shelf is their additions to the win column.
The Spurs have gone 3-0 with Wembanyama in street clothes, registering home wins over Sacramento, Memphis and Atlanta to remain in the thick of the early Western Conference race.
Two of those victories came with starting guard Stephon Castle also on the injured list with a hip flexor strain.
The motto for the Spurs during this injury riddled period: Just press on.
“We’re playing lineups that we hadn’t even practiced with or gone through training camp or preseason with,” said guard De’Aaron Fox, who is averaging 26.7 points and 7.7 assists in Wembanyama’s absence. “You try to jell together as quickly as possible, and it’s great winning games while you’re doing it.”
Before this season, the Spurs were 16-31 in games without Wembanyama. Their ability to reverse that trend has the Spurs at 11-4 after 15 games for the first time since 2014-15.
The Spurs look to keep the short-handed victories coming Sunday when they begin a four-game road trip in Phoenix, where the Suns handed them their first defeat of the season on Nov. 2.
Seven of the Spurs next eight games are on the road, where they have gone 3-2 this season.
“It’s obviously good protecting home court and when you’re at home, but then just being able to come together whenever you go on the road,” Fox said. “You have to go into another team’s arena and try to suck the energy out.”
When Wembanyama is in the lineup, the 21-year-old All-Star is among the best in the league at stealing an opposing crowd’s soul.
He is the Spurs’ leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. He has been a lot to replace.
Not surprisingly, the Spurs have not tried to do that with only one player.
The 7-1 Kornet has been the first body into the breach, moving from the bench into Wembanyama’s spot in the starting five.
The Spurs signed the 30-year-old Kornet away from Boston in the offseason for just such an event.
“I’m just playing like I always do,” Kornet said. “Obviously, the minutes and lineups change around a bit. You just get lost in playing the game and finding out what it takes for your team to be able to win.”
Kornet logged a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double with three blocks in his first start against Sacramento. He was less prevalent in the box score in the Spurs’ next two victories, totaling five points and seven rebounds against Memphis and Atlanta.
In terms of bench minutes, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has mixed and matched using the 6-11 Kelly Olynyk as a stretch big man or the 6-8 Jeremy Sochan as a small-ball center.
Olynyk has had his moments in his first meaningful minutes since his summertime trade from Washington.
The 34-year-old veteran had eight assists against the Kings and scored 10 points against the Grizzlies.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk (8) drives to the basket on Sacramento Kings’ forward Drew Eubanks (19) during the first half of an NBA game in San Antonio, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. San Antonio beat Sacramento 123-110.
“You give him the ball, and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “It may be an assist, maybe a layup, maybe a 3, maybe a fake (handoff). He just always finds a way to make something happen, at his pace.”
With Thursday’s game against the Hawks threatening to get away from the Spurs in the fourth quarter, Johnson installed Sochan as part of a small-ball lineup.
That group — which also included frenetic rookie guard David Jones Garcia — turned the game back the Spurs’ direction with its defensive pressure.
All three of Jones Garcia’s steals in that game came in the fourth quarter. All three led directly to run-out dunks for the Spurs.
“I didn’t know it was going to work so well,” Johnson said of the small-ball lineup. “So, then I stayed with it.”
That has been the Spurs’ approach toward surviving this stretch without Wembanyama, which is likely to continue for another few weeks.
Just find a way, some way.
“We’ve had so many guys that have missed some time and we’re still finding ways to win games,” Fox said. “We definitely feel like there’s something special.”
For a player like Kornet, tabbed with replacing the irreplaceable, that means simply doing what he can do and not apologizing for what he can’t.
“Obviously, (Wembanyama) is a big focal point of what we’re able to do,” Kornet said. “I’m always just trying to win the possession at hand, whatever that looks like on a game-to-game basis.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News