By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-12-21 12:24:54
圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1号) 在2025年12月18日星期四于圣安东尼奥举行的一场NBA比赛上半场中，封盖了华盛顿奇才队中锋亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr) (20号) 的投篮。文班亚马贡献了4次封盖和15分，帮助圣安东尼奥以119-94击败华盛顿。
华盛顿电 – 在周五晚间马刺以126-98大胜亚特兰大老鹰队的比赛中，第三节还剩不到六分钟时，老鹰队有两名球员在15秒内相继在禁区挑战了维克托·文班亚马——一位是身高6英尺7英寸的后卫，另一位则是6英尺10英寸的大前锋。
然而，事情对这两位亚特兰大球员来说并不顺利。文班亚马将他们的投篮悉数扇飞。
马刺队在周末带着令人窒息的防守表现抵达美国首都，这在很大程度上要归功于他们防守端的强大支柱在因小腿受伤缺席12场比赛后强势回归。
“当他在场上时，我们的防守是现象级的，”德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 如此评价文班亚马，后者是本赛季年度最佳防守球员的头号候选人。
如果不是因为右肩的血凝块导致赛季在二月中旬提前报销，这位21岁的法国人本可能已经赢得了2024-2025赛季的哈基姆·奥拉朱旺杯，该奖项最终由克利夫兰的埃文·莫布里 (Evan Mobley) 获得。
在周日对阵华盛顿奇才队的比赛前，马刺队已连续两场将对手得分限制在100分以下，并且在这两场比赛的全部八个单节中都让对手得分低于30分。马刺上一次连续将对手得分限制在100分以下，还要追溯到2022-23赛季，当时他们在2月28日客场击败犹他爵士（94分）和3月2日主场迎战印第安纳步行者（99分）的比赛中取得连胜。
而他们上一次连续三场比赛将对手得分压制在100分以下，则是在四个赛季前，当时他们先后在主场战胜了波士顿凯尔特人（88分）和华盛顿奇才（99分），随后又在客场击败了波特兰开拓者（83分）。
球队目前在防守端的统治级表现，与这位身高7英尺4英寸的全明星护筐手的回归恰好同步。
周日的比赛是文班亚马复出后的第四场比赛，这不包括上周二在拉斯维加斯举行的NBA杯锦标赛决赛中，球队经过激战以113-124不敌纽约尼克斯的比赛。
自回归以来，这位NBA的盖帽王在替补出场且上场时间受限的情况下，场均仍能贡献近三次封盖。
“他一上场，就做回了自己，充满侵略性，展现统治力，”瓦塞尔说。
本赛季至今，文班亚马以场均3.4次封盖领跑全联盟。他在上赛季以场均3.8次封盖荣膺盖帽王，而在此前的2023-24赛季，他凭借场均3.6次封盖（同样联盟第一）的表现，当选为NBA年度最佳新秀。
凭借对阵老鹰队时的那几次封盖，文班亚马成为了自联盟开始统计封盖数据以来，NBA历史上第三位连续100场比赛至少有一次封盖入账的球员。另外两位分别是帕特里克·尤因 (Patrick Ewing)（145场）和迪肯贝·穆托姆博 (Dikembe Mutombo)（116场）。本赛季，当马刺将对手得分限制在100分以下时，取得了3胜0负的战绩。
瓦塞尔表示，有文班亚马作为禁区的最后一道防线，让人感觉非常安心。
“我们全队都在努力防守，然后（对手）在进攻时间所剩无几时冲进内线，试图完成一次高难度的上篮，结果要么是投失，要么就是被盖掉，”瓦塞尔说道。
在上周四于霜冻银行中心以119-94大胜奇才的比赛中，文班亚马在防守端完成封盖后，上演了一次单人快攻，并以一记石破天惊的扣篮终结了进攻。
“他在攻防两端的影响力简直不可思议，”瓦塞尔说。“而且看到他在有上场时间限制的情况下还能做到这些，联盟有大麻烦了。”
文班亚马也认同瓦塞尔的预测。
但马刺队防守如此强悍，并不仅仅归功于文班亚马一人的表现。他的队友们，尤其是冉冉升起的防守大闸斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)，在防守端同样表现出色。
在亚特兰大，卡斯尔帮助球队将身高6英尺9英寸、体重220磅的贾伦·约翰逊 (Jalen Johnson) 的得分限制在17分。要知道，约翰逊在赛前场均能得到23.6分，并且在前一晚输给夏洛特黄蜂的比赛中刚刚砍下职业生涯新高的43分。
“我想要对位最强的对手，”卡斯尔说。
即便这意味着要防守像约翰逊这样体型更大的球员。
“说到底，无论对手是谁，你都必须防在他身前，”身高6英尺6英寸、体重220磅的卡斯尔说道。
马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 则为球队防守的崛起提供了另一个因素。这股势头实际上始于上周NBA杯半决赛以111-109战胜俄克拉荷马城雷霆的比赛，当时他们让联盟得分第二高的球队得分比其赛季平均值低了15分。
进入周日的比赛前，马刺队的防守效率（每百回合失分）为112.9，排名联盟第五；场均失分为113.7分，排名联盟第八。
“我们的沟通正在变得更好，”约翰逊说。“虽然仍有很大的提升空间。但当我们沟通顺畅时，凭借我们拥有的人员配置——无论是禁区护筐能力，还是一些只要专注就能提供巨大防守压力的活力型运动员——我们就能串联起来，让对手难以得分。”
Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Devin Vassell, right, react during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (back) blocks a shot by Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) as forward Victor Wembanyama (1) lends a hand during the second half of an NBA game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. San Antonio beat Washington 119-94.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1)blocks a sot by Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) during the second half of an NBA game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. San Antonio beat Washington 119-94.
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：Victor Wembanyama helps fuel Spurs' defensive surge
Victor Wembanyama helps fuel Spurs’ defensive surge
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot by Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) during the first half of an NBA game in San Antonio, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Wembanyama had four blocks and 15 points to help San Antonio beat Washington 119-94.
WASHINGTON – In the span of 15 seconds with under six minutes left in the third quarter of the Spurs’ 126-98 dismantling of Atlanta on Friday night, a pair of Hawks – one a 6-foot-7 guard, the other a 6-10 power forward, challenged Victor Wembanyama in the paint.
Things did not go well for those Atlanta guys. Wembanyama swatted their shots away.
The Spurs rolled into the nation’s capital over the weekend playing stifling defense, thanks in large part to the return of their formidable anchor on that end of the court after he missed 12 games with an injured calf.
“Our defense is tremendous when he’s out there,” Devin Vassell said of Wembanyama, the league’s top candidate for defensive player of the year.
The 21-year-old Frenchman likely would have won the 2024-2025 Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy that went to Cleveland’s Evan Mobley had a blood clot in his right shoulder not ended his season in mid-February.
The Spurs entered Sunday’s game against Washington having held their last two opponents to under 100 points and below 30 points in all four quarters. The last time the Spurs held foes under 100 in consecutive games was during the 2022-23 season, when they won consecutive games at Utah (94) on Feb. 28 and versus Indiana (99) on March 2.
The last time they held foes under 100 in three straight games was four seasons ago when they won at home against Boston (88) and Washington (99) and at Portland (83).
The current defensive dominance coincides with the return of a 7-foot-4 All-Star rim-protector.
Sunday’s game marked Wembanyama’s fourth game back, excluding the 124-113 loss New York last Tuesday in the hard-fought NBA Cup championship in Las Vegas.
Since returning, the NBA’s leading shot blocker is averaging nearly three rejections per game despite coming off the bench and playing limited minutes.
“As soon as he gets out there, it’s just him being himself, being aggressive, being dominant,” Vassell said.
For the season, Wembanyama is averaging an NBA-best 3.4 blocks. He led the league with 3.8 last season after averaging a league-high 3.6 in 2023-24 on his way to being named NBA Rookie of the Year.
With those blocks against the Hawks, which helped the Spurs go 3-0 this season when holding opponents under 100 points, Wembanyama became just the third player in NBA history since the league began charting blocks to put together a streak of 100 games with at least one rejection. The others are Patrick Ewing (145) and Dikembe Mutombo (116).
Having Wembanyama as a safety man in the paint is a comforting feeling, Vassell said.
“We’re all guarding, and then (opponents) get low on the shot clock and they’re going in there trying to shoot a crazy layup, and it’s either a miss or it’s getting blocked,” Vassell said.
In the 119-94 blitz of the Wizards last Thursday at the Frost Bank Center, Wembanyama engineered a one-man fastbreak he punctuated with an rim-rattling dunk after blocking a shot on the other end.
“The impact he has on both ends of the floor is just amazing,” Vassell said. “And to see that he’s doing it on a minutes restriction, the league is in trouble.”
Wembanyama agreed with Vassell’s prediction.
But it’s not just Wembanyama’s play that makes the Spurs so tough defensively. His teammates, especially budding shutdown defender Stephon Castle, have been strong on that end as well.
In Atlanta, Castle helped limit 6-foot-9, 220-pound Jalen Johnson to 17 points after he entered the game averaging 23.6 and fresh off pouring in a career-high 43 in a loss to Charlotte the night before.
“I want the best matchup,” Castle said.
Even if it means defending a bigger player like Johnson.
“At the end of the day, you got to stay in front no matter who it is,” said Castle, 6-6, 220.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson offered another factor for the defensive surge, which really began with the 111-109 win over Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup semifinals last week, when they held what at that time was the league’s second-highest scoring team to 15 points below it’s season average.
The Spurs entered Sunday’s game fifth in the league in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 112.9 and eighth in points allowed per game at 113.7.
“Our communication is getting better,” Johnson said. “It still has a lot of room to improve. But when we communicate, because of the personnel we have, whether that’s rim protection or some dynamic athletes that can really provide a lot of resistance when they put their mind to it, we’re connected and can be tough to score on.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News