By Mateo Mayorga | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-11-29 06:05:00
圣安东尼奥马刺队在丹佛高原爆冷击败了阵容不整的掘金队，夺得西部C组头名，从而直接晋级阿联酋杯的淘汰赛阶段。凭借德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 的关键表现，现在全队都该请他吃饭了。球员们也获得了赚取额外奖金的机会，因为晋级四分之一决赛意味着即便止步于此，每位成员也将至少赢得53093美元，而双向合同球员则获得该数额的一半。
比赛伊始，双方都迅速进入状态，进攻端鲜有失手。尽管贾马尔·穆雷 (Jamal Murray) 在首节火力全开，但马刺队还是顶住了他的攻势，因为德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 总能找到空切的队友和外线射手。随后，替补阵容也高效贡献了13分，并送出4次抢断。首节战罢，圣安东尼奥领先8分，并且尽管他们的三分球并未真正投开，但他们单节轰下的41分，是掘金队本赛季任何一节的最高失分。
四分钟后，掘金队夺回了领先优势，马刺队则错失了大量得分良机。由于丹佛在挡拆防守中几乎没给他们留下任何空间，马刺的进攻挣扎一直持续到半场结束。主队打出了一波15-0的攻击波，比赛迅速演变成了那种让马刺队无比想念文班的夜晚，因为塞尔维亚人正用他鬼才般的传球瓦解着马刺的防线。
掘金队打出了赛季最高的半场得分（74分），圣安东尼奥马刺队带着15分的劣势进入下半场。丹佛18分的二次进攻得分中，有16分来自第二节。下半场，篮筐终于不再对马刺队加盖了，尽管掘金队在外线依旧手感火热，投中了7记三分，但马刺最终还是在第三节末段成功反超了比分。
第四节开始时，马刺落后一分，瓦塞尔和小蒂姆·哈达威 (Tim Hardaway Jr.) 开始了三分对飙。哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 也加入战局，帮助球队取得两分领先，随后约基奇回到了场上。比赛最后四分钟，掘金队一直处于犯规奖励状态，但丹佛的四次失误、穆雷在两分钟内投失的关键罚球，以及瓦塞尔在最后时刻命中的两记三分球，拯救了马刺队。最终，马刺以139-136取胜，他们（以及德文）需要感谢全队在罚球线上32罚30中的完美表现。
比赛要点
- 马刺队在第一节（41分）和第三节（44分）的得分都至少达到40分，并且在下半场一度落后多达18分。瓦塞尔的表现是致命的，他的投篮手感滚烫，堪称“百步穿杨”。他全场以70.6%的命中率砍下35分，是下半场当之无愧的最佳球员。球队第二得分手是朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)，他贡献了25分，包括罚球线上完美的10罚10中。
- 马刺队在进攻中通过掩护配合针对约基奇，以利用他防守端留下的空当。这一策略带来了直杀禁区的突破和穿越防守的吊传。但尼古拉在进攻端的贡献远超他防守端的弱点。他并非丹佛的头号得分手，但他作为掩护者和传球手的策动作用创造了太多机会，使得丹佛在客队防线疲于奔命时总能获得大量良机。
- 科内特 (Kornet) 是唯一在体型和力量上能近距离给约基奇制造麻烦的大个子，但他缺乏足够的机动性来完成防守。随后索汉也尝试防守约基奇，但后者无论在力量还是技巧上都轻松碾压了他。此外，约纳斯·瓦兰丘纳斯 (Jonas Valančiūnas) 在内线也难以应付，他总能抢占篮板的有利位置。他给马刺制造了巨大麻烦，以至于球队在一次投篮后的球权争抢中对他犯规了三次。
- 迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 打得像个老将，很少做出错误的判断。在下半场局势看似黯淡时，他为马刺队逆转比赛贡献了一份力量。
- 马刺队在第一节于禁区内完成了无可挑剔的11次出手，但随着他们持续面对掘金的落位防守，进攻变得愈发艰难，部分原因在于丹佛不断获得罚球机会。第二节对马刺而言堪称灾难，他们单节净负23分。他们就像一个出拳绵软无力的拳击手，幸亏有瓦塞尔投进了全队将近一半的球，否则场面会更加难看。即便如此，中场休息前，他们投出的“铁”都够为银黑军团建一座新球馆打好地基了。
- 在第一节的大约一节时间里，我们欣赏到了福克斯和穆雷之间顶级的肯塔基后卫对决。前者在比赛初期为队友扮演了组织者的角色，而后者则无需承担得分之外的任务，因为“小丑”是比赛中最出色的做球手，所以穆雷像疯了一样命中跳投和上篮。穆雷在下半场延续了跳投雨，使得这场对决变得更加一边倒，尽管在比赛大部分时间里他们两人并未直接对位防守。
- 马刺队也曾经历得分荒，但他们的半场进攻最终挂上了六档，全速运转，根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，他们每百回合得到116.7分，这一效率足以排在联盟第93百分位。
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：Devin Vassell’s heroics power Spurs’ group-winning comeback over Nuggets
Devin Vassell’s heroics power Spurs’ group-winning comeback over Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs upset the vulnerable Nuggets in Mile High Denver, claiming the top record in West Group C and giving them direct entry into the knockout rounds of Emirates Cup play. Everyone now owes Devin Vassell lunch after his clutch performance, and now the players have the opportunity for some extra dollars because advancing to the quarterfinal means that each member will win at least $53,093 if they go no further, and the two-way players get half of that.
Both teams came out hot and there were very few misses early on. The good guys were able to endure Jamal Murray’s first-quarter flurry because De’Aaron Fox was finding cutters and shooters. Then the bench chipped in with an efficient 13 points while adding four steals. San Antonio headed into the second up eight, and even though their threes weren’t really falling, they put up the most the Nuggets have yielded in any quarter this season (41).
The Nuggets took the lead four minutes later as the Spurs misfired on a bevy of opportunities, and their offensive struggles persisted until halftime as Denver gave them little space to operate on pick and rolls. The hosts went on a 15-0 run, and it quickly turned into one of those nights they wished they had Wemby to slow down Jokic, because the Serbian was dissecting the Spurs defense with his savant-like passing.
San Antonio was down 15 points after the Nuggets had their highest-scoring first half of the season (74). Sixteen of Denver’s 18 second-chance points were in the second quarter. The lid came off the Spurs basket, and they were eventually able to re-take the lead late in the third even though the Nuggets were still on fire from deep, with seven treys.
As the fourth quarter started with the Spurs down one, Vassell and Tim Hardaway Jr. started trading 3-pointers. Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson got in on the action, taking a two-point lead before Jokić checked back in. The Nuggets were in the bonus the last four minutes, but the Spurs were bailed out by four Denver turnovers, Murray missing a pivotal free throw with under two minutes left, and Vassell burying two 3-pointers late. The Spurs won 139-136, and had a 30 for 32 performance from the line to (and Devin) to thank for it.
Game Notes
- The Spurs scored at least 40 in the first (41) and third (44) quarters and were down by as much as 18 in the second half. Vassell was so deadly, he could “shoot a needle off a cactus,” and he ended the night scoring 35 points on 70.6 percent shooting, and was the best player in the second half. The next leading scorer was Julian Champagnie, who added 25 points, including a perfect 10 for 10 at the line.
- The Spurs were targeting Jokić on screen rolls to take advantage of open space. It resulted in drive-bys inside the lane and passes over the top of the defense. But Nikola’s offense more than makes up for his weaknesses defending. He wasn’t Denver’s go-to scorer, but his actions as a screener and passer created so many options that Denver had plenty of looks while the visitors’ defense was scrambling.
- Kornet was the only big man with size and strength to make things uncomfortable for Jokić at close range, yet he lacked the maneuverability to make stops. Sochan got time guarding him next, and Jokić muscled and finessed around him. On top of that, Jonas Valančiūnas was too much to handle as he seized real estate for rebounds. He was so problematic that the Spurs fouled him thrice hunting a loose ball after a shot.
- Dylan Harper plays like a veteran who rarely makes the wrong read. He had a part in getting the Spurs back in the game in the second half when it looked bleak.
- The Spurs shot an immaculate 11 shots in the lane in the first quarter, but their job got harder as they continued to face a set defense, in part because Denver kept getting to the line. The second quarter was subsequently a disaster for the Spurs as they were outscored by 23. They looked like a boxer with no pop on their punches, and were lucky they had Vassell to pour in almost half of their shots, or it would have been uglier. Still, they threw up enough bricks to lay a good foundation for a new Silver and Black arena before their halftime instruction.
- This was a top-shelf Kentucky guard match-up between Fox and Murray for about one quarter. The former was a playmaker for others early and the latter didn’t have to be more than scorer because Joker is the best setup man in the game, so he downed jumpers and layups like a madman. Murray followed up in the second half raining jumpers, making it even more one-sided, despite the two of them not guarding each other most of the game.
- The Spurs had their drought, but their half-court offense eventually got rolling in sixth gear, scoring 116.7 points per 100 possessions, good enough for the 93rd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
By Mateo Mayorga, via Pounding The Rock