By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-21 11:57:51
休斯顿火箭队前锋凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) (7号) 在2026年1月20日星期二于休斯顿举行的一场NBA篮球比赛下半场中，面对圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) (3号) 的防守持球。(美联社照片/Ashley Landis)
盐湖城报道 —— 在周二晚间以106-111客场不敌休斯顿火箭队后，马刺队的更衣室里播放着阿黛尔 (Adele) 的歌曲《Easy On Me》，这颇为应景。
在这首2021年的热门单曲中，这位英国流行天后唱出了关于宽恕与理解的心声，而这正是马刺队当下所需要的——他们在第二节一度领先16分的情况下惨遭逆转，下半场被对手打出51-36的攻击波，其中第四节更是以14-29溃败，最终输掉了这场半场还领先10分的比赛。
“亲爱的，对我宽容一些吧。我还只是个孩子，”阿黛尔在歌中唱道。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在谈到这支年轻的马刺队时，也表达了几乎相同的看法，并在这场输给州际公路对手的惨痛失利后，努力从中找到一丝积极的方面。
“我认为好的一面是，没有什么比失败或失利更能让你学习和成熟了……我认为，我们需要更成熟一点，”这位22岁的法国明星说道。
其他球员也呼应了这一主题。
“我们还有很大的成长空间，”前锋朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 说。
里德·谢泼德 (Reed Sheppard) 在第四节独得21分中的12分，阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Sengun) 贡献20分、13个篮板和9次助攻，险些拿到三双。火箭队上演了赛季最大逆转，终结了马刺的三连胜，并将本赛季四场系列赛的总比分扳为1-1平。
马刺队 (30胜14负) 将力求重回正轨，他们将于周四晚在犹他州客场挑战爵士队 (15胜29负) —— 这支球队周一刚在主场被他们击败。
“我们一度领先10多分，甚至15分以上，我感觉比赛已经尽在掌握，”马刺后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔说。“但我们让他们打出了一波高潮，然后我们自己开始出现一些糟糕的失误，胜利就这么从我们手中溜走了。”
这是马刺背靠背的第二场比赛，他们在第四节投篮仅28投7中 (命中率25%)，三分线外更是13投全失。而火箭队 (26胜15负) 在末节19投11中 (命中率57.9%)，其中三分球8投4中。
与文班亚马不同，马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 赛后并没有“宽容待我”的心情。
“休斯顿整个下半场都干得非常出色，他们提升了身体对抗强度，提升了侵略性等级，”约翰逊说。“我不认为只是某一个问题持续伤害着我们，而是（火箭队）在精神和身体层面全方位展现出的强硬——这种强硬以多种方式击垮了我们。”
约翰逊的这番感叹听起来并不陌生。
强硬度的缺失导致了马刺在1月11日客场以103-104惜败于明尼苏达森林狼队的比赛中挥霍了19分的领先优势。而在周六于霜冻银行中心与森林狼的再次交手中，他们浪费了25分的领先，但最终还是艰难取胜。
“和往常一样，我们又挥霍了超过15分的领先优势。好的一面是，我们都意识到了这个问题，”文班亚马在谈到球队无法保住领先优势时说。“我们正在努力思考解决办法，我们清楚地认识到这是一个问题。”
马刺队面临的另一个老问题是：文班亚马难以摆脱火箭队的防守策略。休斯顿不断用不同的防守者对他进行车轮战，除了6英尺11英寸的申京和6英尺10英寸的克林特·卡佩拉 (Clint Capela) 外，还包括一些极具侵略性和对抗性的后卫和侧翼球员。
在被挤出禁区后，文班亚马虽然抢下了10个篮板，但在30分钟的出场时间里仅得到14分。他全场21投5中，其中三分球7投0中，这与他过去三场比赛场均31.3分、三分命中率近60%（场均出手9.0次）的表现相去甚远。
“我认为休斯顿自从我们拥有维克托以来，就一直采用这种防守方式，所以这没什么新鲜的，”约翰逊说。“这种防守很难对付。我认为我们全队上下在某些时候都打得太仓促，被挤出了自己的位置。”
这场失利也让尚帕尼的27分努力化为泡影，他本场三分球16投8中，而队内其他球员合计只有34投6中。
总的来看，马刺全队投出了赛季新高的105次运动战出手，但仅命中41球 (命中率39%)。
“我不认为今天有任何人出手是抱着（去他X的）团队或者‘我行我素’的心态，”尚帕尼说。“没有人是出于恶意。但我认为，这就是我们成长和成为一支更好球队的一部分。我们队里有些球员随时都能创造投篮机会，比如德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron) Fox、维克 (Vic，文班亚马的昵称)、斯蒂芬（卡斯尔），还有（受伤的前锋）德文·瓦塞尔 (Dev Vassell) 复出后也是。所以，我认为挑战在于如何为球队找到最佳的出手机会。我想我们必须继续探索和构建出实现这一目标的方式。”
这只是尚帕尼本赛季第二次领衔球队得分，也是他第二次得分超过25分。但他表示，自己宁愿用这一切去换取一场胜利。
“说实话，我真的不在乎，”他说。“我不在乎自己得20分还是10分，我只想赢球。所以，老实说，我宁愿自己得0分，只要我们能赢20分。这（输球）太烦人了。失利才是最困扰我的事。这说明我们没有拿出最好的表现，这才是让我最难受的地方。”
即便是阿黛尔那抚慰人心的歌声，也无法让这一切好起来。
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) defends against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) defends against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson, left, shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Crews replace a damaged hoop before an NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) defends against Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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：Wemby touts need for 'maturity' after Spurs squander lead in Houston
Wemby touts need for ‘maturity’ after Spurs squander lead in Houston
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
SALT LAKE CITY — It was fitting that Adele’s “Easy On Me” was playing in the Spurs’ locker room after their 111-106 at Houston on Tuesday night.
In the 2021 hit, the English pop star sings about forgiveness and understanding, and the Spurs were in need of both after blowing a 16-point second quarter lead and getting outscored 51-36 in the second half, including 29-14 in the fourth quarter, after leading by 10 at halftime.
“Go easy on me, baby. I was still a child,” Adele sings.
Victor Wembanyama said pretty much the same thing about the young Spurs in finding a bit of a silver lining after the stinging loss to their Interstate 10 rivals.
“I think the good thing is that nothing makes you learn and makes you mature like failure or losses, defeats … We need to mature a little bit, I think,” the 22-year-old French star said.
Other players picked up on that theme.
“We have so much room to grow,” forward Julian Champagnie said.
Reed Sheppard scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Alperen Sengun nearly had a triple-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and the Rockets recorded their biggest comeback of the season in snapping the Spurs’ three-game winning streak and evening the four-game season series at 1-1.
The Spurs (30-14) will try to get back on track when they face the Jazz (15-29) — a team it defeated at home Monday — in Utah on Thursday night.
“We are up 10-plus, 15-plus, I felt like we had the game in control,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “We kind of let them go on a run and then we started making some bad plays on our end and it kind of slipped away from us.”
Playing on the second night of a back to back, the Spurs hit just 7 of 28 shots (25%) in the fourth quarter, missing all 13 of their attempts from downtown, while the Rockets (26-15) connected on 11 of 19 (57.9%) and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Unlike Wembanyama, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson wasn’t in a “go easy on me” mood afterward.
“Houston did a heck of a job the whole second half, ramping up their physicality, ramping up their level of aggression,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it was one thing that continued to hurt us other than just some toughness — mental, physical — all across the board (by the Rockets) and in a lot of different ways that got to us.”
Johnson’s lament was a familiar one.
A lack of toughness contributed to the Spurs blowing a 19-point lead in losing 104-103 at Minnesota on Jan. 11. In a rematch with the Timberwolves on Saturday at the Frost Bank Center, they squandered a 25-point lead only to pull out a win.
“The same as usual blowing a 15-plus point lead. The good thing is we’re all into the problem,” Wembanyama said of the team’s failure to protect leads. “We’re offering our minds into it, but we’re conscious it is a problem.”
Another familiar problem for the Spurs: Wembanyama’s struggles to break free from the Rockets defensive strategy of throwing different defenders at him, including some aggressive, physical guards and wings to go along with the 6-foot-11 Sengun and the 6-10 Clint Capela.
Pushed away from the paint, Wembanyama had 10 rebounds but produced just 14 points in 30 minutes. He was 5 of 21 from the field, including 0 for 7 from distance, after averaging 31.3 points and shooting nearly 60% from downtown on 9.0 attempts over his last three games.
“I think Houston’s played this brand of defense since we’ve had Victor, so I don’t think it’s anything new,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to play against. I think our whole team across the board at times, we got rushed, we got pushed off our spots.”
The loss wasted a 27-point effort by Champagnie, who finished 8 for 16 from 3-point range, while the rest of the team was a combined 6 of 34.
Overall, the Spurs hit just 41 of their season-high 105 field goal attempts (39%).
“I don’t think that anyone took shots today that were like (screw) the team or I’m doing what I want to do,” Champagnie said. “No one did it with bad intentions. But I think that’s a part of us growing up and becoming a better team. We got guys who can get shots off at any time. (De’Aaron) Fox, Vic, Steph, (injured forward) Dev (Vassell), when he’s playing. So I think figuring out a way to get the best shot for the team (is the challenge). I think we have to continue to figure out and build out what that looks like.”
It was only the second time this season Champagnie has led the team in scoring and only his second game with 25-plus points. But he said he would trade it all for a win.
“I really don’t care honestly and truly,” he said. “I don’t care if I have 20. I don’t care if I have 10. I like to win. So I would much rather me have zero and us win by 20, if I’m being honest with you. It’s just annoying. The loss is what bothers me most. That’s just us not putting our best foot forward. It’s kind of what the kicker is for me.”
And not even the soothing sounds of Adele couldn’t make it better.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News