By Marilyn Dubinski | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-12-20 04:05:21
疲惫之师不容喘息，舟车劳顿的马刺队在经历了一晚短暂的主场停留后，又马不停蹄地踏上了客场之旅。这是两周多以来，马刺第二次在第二天从圣安东尼奥飞往东海岸城市进行比赛，途中还损失了一个小时的时差。但这一次，他们的对手老鹰队并没有体能优势，因为后者前一晚刚刚在夏洛特打完比赛。于是，马刺队延续了昨晚的强势表现：他们彻底压制了实力稍逊的对手，甚至可以在第四节就让所有主力球员安心休息。
开场阶段，两队都显得有些慢热，但两位回到家乡作战的马刺球员却手感滚烫。德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 三分球4投3中，包办了马刺队前11分中的9分，而斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 同样锦上添花，帮助马刺在开场不到六分钟就以18-11领先。维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 替补登场后立刻在防守端产生影响，而卡斯尔则继续利用老鹰队缺少护筐手的弱点，在内线予取予求。首节结束时，马刺凭借一波9-0的攻势，以32-19领先。来自佐治亚州的“双子星”合砍21分，两人得分就已超过了亚特兰大老鹰全队。
进入第二节，马刺队继续向老鹰队施压。迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 利用自己的速度和终结能力，轻松撕裂了亚特兰大漏洞百出的防线。文班亚马也在他第二段上场时间里大杀四方，单节贡献11分（本应是13分，但他最后一记投篮被吹罚了进攻犯规，尽管那明显是一次误判）。哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 终于找回手感，命中了自己四场比赛以来的首记三分球。半场哨声响起时，马刺以68-44领先，创造了当时的全场最大分差。
在连续四场比赛打出漂亮的第三节后，米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 教练显然不愿让球队故态复萌。因此，当球队在下半场开局被打出2-7的攻击波后，他果断叫了暂停。马刺队以更坚决地冲击篮筐作为回应，瓦塞尔也用一记扣篮和一记三分球，继续在家乡父老面前上演精彩表现。文班亚马同样从替补席上带来了活力，他送出几次盖帽，命中一记三分，并上演了一记十佳球级别的扣篮。很快，马刺队凭借一波8-0的攻势将领先优势重新扩大到26分。随着文班亚马状态全面开花，他们继续扩大领先，并最终以102-72领先30分进入末节，连续第五场赢下了第三节的较量。
第四节基本沦为漫长的垃圾时间，尽管主力球员们还是先多打了几分钟，将领先优势一度扩大到38分之多。人员短缺的老鹰队不得不继续让轮换球员在场上拼搏，他们面对马刺的第三阵容时稍稍蚕食了一些分差，但这为时已晚，于事无补。林迪·沃特斯 (Lindy Waters) 和乔丹·麦克劳克林 (Jordan McLaughlin) 命中了几记及时的投篮，最终马刺以126-98取胜。由于杯赛决赛不计入常规赛战绩，这严格意义上是他们本赛季的第二个五连胜。上一次则是在赛季之初，而那也是他们自2019年以来的首次五连胜。
比赛观察
- 马刺队的“佐治亚男孩”们最终在亲朋好友面前打出了一场精彩的比赛，他们合砍35分（并且是唯二得分上双的首发球员）、命中5记三分、抢下9个篮板并送出10次助攻。瓦塞尔和卡斯尔的组合已经有了几个绰号，包括“菠萝兄弟”（因其相似的发型）和“双胞胎”（因为发型让他们在场上看起来很像）。我们是否需要再给他们加上一个与佐治亚州有关的绰号呢？毕竟他们都来自那里，彼此的家乡相距不过一小时车程。
- 这可以说是文班伤愈复出以来打得最好的一场比赛。尽管他在对阵雷霆时表现出色，但这一场他似乎掌控力更强，在场上的每一秒都展现了统治力，砍下26分、12个篮板的两双数据，外加3次助攻和2次盖帽。他还似乎经历了一段“状态提升期”的测试，即通过长时间比赛来检验自己的体能水平——他在第三节还剩8分35秒时上场，一直打到第四节还剩10分53秒时才下场。他有时看起来有些气喘，但还是坚持了下来，这是一个好迹象，表明他已经为承担更多的上场时间做好了准备。
- 感谢皮特·悉尼 (Pete Sydney) 发现了65场规则中的这个小细节：该规则不仅要求球员出战65场比赛，还要求他们在这65场比赛中每场至少出战20分钟，才有资格评选各大奖项。注意，这不是场均20分钟，而是每场比赛都要达到这个时长，这很可能是为了防止球队在赛季末为了凑够场次而让球员象征性地打几分钟。不过，规则也允许两次“险些未达标”的情况，即出场时间在15-19分钟之间。文班在昨晚对阵奇才的比赛中仅出场17分钟，用掉了其中一次机会。然而，他今晚出战了21分钟，所以他手里还剩下一次“豁免权”，并且还可以再缺席六场比赛（虽然数据统计不显示，但对阵尼克斯的杯赛决赛会计入他的出场次数）。
- 尽管遭遇了一些伤病，老鹰队在东部的季后赛版图中依然位置稳固（目前排名第9，但距离第3名仅差2.5个胜场，同时领先第11名3.5个胜场）。马刺队拥有在2026年NBA选秀中与老鹰队互换首轮选秀权的权利。虽然目前看来那个选秀权充其量只是乐透区末段，甚至很可能在乐透区之外，但马刺队通过赛季横扫老鹰，已经尽其所能地为提升该选秀权的顺位发挥了作用。
下场预告：周日客场对阵华盛顿奇才
如果马刺队赢下这场比赛（而且他们没有理由不赢），这将是他们自2016-17赛季以来首次取得六连胜。那个赛季，他们曾有过两次九连胜的辉煌战绩。
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：Spurs dominate depleted Hawks for (technically) their fifth straight win
Spurs dominate depleted Hawks for (technically) their fifth straight win
There was no rest for the weary as the travel-worn Spurs were right back out on the road after a one-game stop at home the night before. This was second time in a little over two weeks that the Spurs traveled from San Antonio to an East Coast game the next night, losing an hour in the process, but this time their opponent did not have a rest advantage, with the Hawks playing in Charlotte the night before. Instead, the Spurs picked up right where they left off last night: dominating an inferior opponent to the point that they could rest everyone in the fourth quarter.
Both teams looked a little off early, but the two Spurs visiting their hometown were feeling it. Devin Vassell scored 9 of the Spurs first 11 points on 3-4 shooting from three, and Stephon Castle added another to get the Spurs up 18-11 just under six minutes in. Victor Wembanyama came in and immediately made an impact defensively, and Castle continued getting what he wanted in the paint with the Hawks lacking any rim protectors. By the end of the quarter, the Spurs were up 32-19 on a 9-0 run, with their two Georgians combining for 21 of those points to single-handedly outscore Atlanta.
The Spurs continued to put it on the Hawks to open the second quarter, with Dylan Harper using his speed and finishing ability to get right by Atlanta’s leaky defense. Wemby was also cooking in his second stint on the floor, scoring 11 points in the period (it should have been 13, but his last bucket was ruled a charge even though it clearly wasn’t). Harrison Barnes finally broke through the glass ceiling to hit his first three-pointer in four games, and the Spurs had their highest lead so far when the halftime buzzer sounded, 68-44.
After four straight games of good third quarters, Mitch Johnson wasn’t about to let his team revert back to bad habits, so he called a timeout after they were outscored 7-2 to open the second half. They responded by attacking the rim more, and Vassell went back to doing some home cooking with a dunk and three. Wembanyama also brought his own spark off the bench with a couple of blocks, a three and highlight reel dunk, and soon the Spurs had stretched the lead back out to 26 on an 8-0 run. They continued to stretch the lead with Wemby clicking on all cylinders and found themselves up 30, 102-72, having won their fifth straight third quarter.
The fourth quarter was extended garbage time, although the starters got a couple more minutes first to stretch the lead as high as 38. The shorthanded Hawks had to keep playing rotation players, and they started chipping away at the lead a little against the Spurs’ third unit, but it was too little, too late. Lindy Waters and Jordan McLaughlin had a few timely buckets, and the Spurs won 126-98. It’s technically their second five-game winning streak of the season since the Cup Finals don’t count in the standings. The other came at the start of the season, and that was their first since 2019.
Game Notes
- The Spurs’ Georgia boys ended up having a great game in front of their friends and family, combining for 35 points (and being the only two starters in double figures), 5 threes, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. The duo of Vassell and Castle already has a couple of nicknames together, including the Pineapple Boys (For their similar hair styles) and Twins (because the hair makes them look similar on the court), do we need to add something to the mix about them both being from Georgia, and about an hour apart from each other, not less?
- This was arguably Wemby’s best game since returning from injury. As good as he was against the Thunder, he seemed much more in control in this one, dominating every second he was on the court with a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double, along with 3 assists and 2 blocks. He also appeared to play a “ramp up” stretch, as in he played a long stint to check his fitness level, when he checked in with 8:35 left in the third quarter and stayed in until the 10:53 mark of the fourth. He looked a little winded at times but powered through it, which is a good sign he’s ready for more minutes.
- Hat tip to Pete Sydney for finding this little tidbit in the 65-game rule, but the rule also requires a player to play in at least 20 minutes those 65 games to be award eligible. Not average 2o minutes per game, but actually play that many minutes in each game, likely as a means to to keep teams from just sticking their players in for a few minutes at the end of the season to meet eligibility. However, they do allow a couple of “near misses” of 15-19 minutes, and Wemby used one of them last night against the Wizards with just 17 minutes. However, he reached 21 minutes tonight, so he still has one of those to burn, and he can still miss six more games (even though the stats don’t show it, the finals cup game against the Knicks counts as a game played).
- Despite some injuries, the Hawks remain comfortably in the postseason picture out East (currently 9th but 2.5 games from the third seed and 3.5 games ahead of the 11th seed). The Spurs own the right to swap first round picks with them in the 2026 NBA Draft, and while at this point it’s looking like that pick will be late in the lottery at best but likely outside of it, the Spurs did all they could to play a role in where in lands by sweeping the season series with the Hawks.
Up next: Sunday at Washington Wizards
If the Spurs win this game (and there’s no reason they shouldn’t), it will be their first time winning six straight games since the 2016-17 season, when they had two 9-game winning streaks.
By Marilyn Dubinski, via Pounding The Rock