By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-30 12:40:56
圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)（1号）在2026年1月28日星期三于休斯顿举行的一场NBA篮球赛下半场中，对阵休斯顿火箭队前锋塔里·伊森 (Tari Eason)（17号）和前锋凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant)（7号）得分后庆祝。(美联社照片/Ashley Landis)
北卡罗来纳州夏洛特电——在中场休息时，教练对球员们进行了一番痛斥，随后球员们互相大声告诫要“别再打得那么软了”。他们的明星球员即便在裁判吹停比赛后，依然奋不顾身地扑向一个地板球。队中那位杰出的新秀打出了一个月以来最好的表现，他无畏地冲击篮筐，在下半场砍下了自己全场16分中的10分。
马刺队在周三晚上客场以111-99击败休斯顿的比赛中拼尽了全力。现在的问题是，周六下午当他们面对胜率不足五成但势头正盛的夏洛特黄蜂队时，能否再次拿出同样拼命三郎般的能量？
“我们的目标是每晚都能有这样的投入程度，”文班亚马在对阵火箭队砍下28分、16个篮板和5次盖帽后说道。这场比赛中，他不仅奋力拼抢了前文提到的那个地板球，还让他7英尺4英寸、240磅的身躯上添了数处瘀伤和划痕。
在周四晚于达拉斯以123-121击败独行侠后，黄蜂队的战绩仅为21胜28负，但他们已经取得了五连胜，这是自2023年2月取得五连胜以来的最长连胜纪录，并且在过去七场比赛中赢下了六场。从12月23日以17分优势战胜奇才开始，夏洛特已经取得了八场净胜分达到或超过15分的胜利，其中有四场比赛的净胜分更是超过了27分。
这波强势表现中还包括在客场大胜犹他55分。
在达拉斯的比赛中，康·克努普尔 (Kon Knueppel) 在比赛还剩4.1秒时命中两记罚球，砍下生涯新高的34分，为这场新秀对决中杜克大学室友库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 的49分表现蒙上了一层阴影。布兰登·米勒 (Brandon Miller) 为夏洛特得到23分，这是他连续第九场得分至少20分。拉梅洛·鲍尔 (LaMelo Ball) 命中六记三分球，贡献了22分。
“他们打得相当不错，”马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 在谈到东部排名第11的黄蜂队时说道。
如果所有这些还不足以确保马刺队（32胜15负，西部第二）能带着对对手应有的敬畏进入比赛，那么他们只需回想一下上赛季2月7日在这里以116-117输球的经历，当时他们的篮板球以38-53被对手完爆。事实上，马刺队已经连续三次输给黄蜂队，并在夏洛特遭遇客场四连败，他们上一次在这里赢球还要追溯到2021年2月14日。
对马刺队有利的是：他们在休斯顿取胜后也势头正盛，并且将以逸待劳，迎战一支刚刚在达拉斯打完客场背靠背比赛的黄蜂队。
在对阵火箭队的比赛中，马刺队一度落后16分，直到第三节末段才首次取得领先。在第三节还剩约八分钟时，休斯顿还领先11分，但随后马刺队打出了一波16-4的攻击波，在节末还剩约两分钟时以79-78反超——这是他们全场首次领先。凯尔登·约翰逊在那段时间里得到9分，而新秀迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 得到4分，他全场11投8中，贡献了16分。
凭借文班亚马在9分钟内砍下13分、9个篮板和3次盖帽的统治级表现，马刺队在第四节以27-13取胜。哈珀在末节也贡献了6分予以支持。
而这一切都发生在教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在中场休息时痛斥球队之后，他警告球员们，他们即将像一周前在休斯顿以106-111输给火箭队时那样被对手“教训”一顿。
“是的，上半场我相当生气，”他说。“场上有很多可以争抢的球权，篮板球、五五开的球、地板球。上半场他们倒地拼抢了，而我们没有。到了下半场，你能感觉到我们的身体对抗、预判、不懈的拼劲以及对球权的追逐都提升了，（文班亚马）有好几次倒地拼抢，这正是我们需要的，我们必须这样打球。”
在更衣室里，提高嗓门的不止是这位39岁的教练。
“我们当时处于落后，也清楚自己为什么落后，所以就互相大声喊话，希望能解决问题，”斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 说道，他本场贡献了16分和6次助攻，并且打出了被米奇·约翰逊称为“最佳防守阵容级别”的防守表现。“我们更衣室里没人会把这些当成个人恩怨。所以我们互相喊话的内容，都只是为了帮助球队。”
得到17分、7个篮板和5次助攻的凯尔登·约翰逊表示，这种喊叫是“出于爱”。
“我们是一个关系紧密的团队，”他说。“任何时候我们与彼此沟通，重要的不是你说话的方式，而是你说话的内容。我觉得每个人都领会了信息，并且在关键时刻挺身而出。这正是你所需要的。你需要和队友有坦诚相见的时刻，互相鞭策，告诉别人他们做对了什么，又做错了什么，并且能够对此做出回应。”
对阵黄蜂队时，马刺队还需要又一次情绪激动的中场休息吗？他们希望的是，在光谱中心（Spectrum Center）一开场，就能拿出他们在休斯顿下半场时展现出的那种坚决的能量。
“我们已经打了足够多的比赛，（身体对抗）会成为（对手）战术蓝图的一部分，这已经不是什么秘密了。我们完全有能力用自己的方式与对手抗衡，我们必须在48分钟里更多地做到这一点，”米奇·约翰逊说。
Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama compete for the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) defends against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (2) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) fouls Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) defends against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks against Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates with forward Carter Bryant (11) after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, left, defends against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 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：Spurs aim to get after Hornets without need to yell at each other
Spurs aim to get after Hornets without need to yell at each other
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates after scoring against Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) and forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Players yelled at each other at halftime to “stop being soft” after their coach let them have it. Their star player dove for a loose ball even after the play had been whistled dead. Their standout rookie had his best game in a month, driving fearlessly to the basket to score 10 of his 16 points in the second half.
The Spurs pulled out all the stops to win 111-99 at Houston on Wednesday night. Now the question is, can they muster the same type of hair-on-fire energy Saturday afternoon when they face the sub-.500 but surging Charlotte Hornets?
“The goal is to have every night this level of dedication,” Victor Wembanyama said after a 28-point, 16-rebound, five-block performance against the Rockets that included diving for that aforementioned loose ball and accumulating several bruises and scratches on his 7-foot-4, 240-pound frame.
The Hornets are only 21-28 after beating the Mavericks 123-121 on Thursday night in Dallas, but they’ve won five in a row for their longest winning streak since a five-game run in February 2023 and six of their last seven. Beginning with a 17-point win over Washington on Dec. 23, Charlotte has recorded eight wins by 15 or more points, including four in that span in which they won by 27 or more.
That stretch included a 55-point victory at Utah.
In Dallas, Kon Knueppel made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left for a career-high 34 points to put a damper on Duke roommate Cooper Flagg’s 49-point game in a rookie showdown. Brandon Miller scored 23 for Charlotte, his ninth-straight game with at least 20. LaMelo Ball contributed 22, hitting six 3-pointers.
“They’re playing some good basketball," Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said of the Hornets, seeded 11th in the East.
If all of that doesn’t ensure that the Spurs (32-15, second in the West) will enter the game with the appropriate amount of fear of their opponent, all they have to do is remember they lost 117-116 here on Feb. 7 last season when they were outrebounded 53-38. In fact, the Spurs have lost three in a row against the Hornets and four in a row in Charlotte, with their last win here coming on Feb. 14, 2021.
Working in the Spurs’ favor: They’ve got momentum of their own after the win in Houston and will play on a couple of days rest against a Hornets team that completed a road back-to-back in Dallas.
The Spurs trailed by 16 against the Rockets and didn’t have a lead until late in the third quarter. Houston led by 11 with about eight minutes left in the period before the Spurs went on a 16-4 run for a 79-78 lead — their first of the game — with about two minutes left in the quarter. Johnson scored nine points in that stretch, and rookie Dylan Harper had four on his way to 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Spurs went on to win the fourth quarter 27-13 behind 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks from Wembanyama in nine minutes. Harper supported him with six points in the final frame.
And it all happened after coach Mitch Johnson lit into the Spurs at the half, warning them they were about to get “punked” just like they did when the Rockets beat them 111-106 in Houston the week before.
“Yeah, I was pretty mad in the first half,” he said. “There was some basketballs to be had, rebounds, fifty-fifty balls, loose balls. They got on the floor in the first half and we did not. And in the second you felt our physicality, anticipation, relentlessness, pursuit of the basketball raised, and (Wembanyama) got on the floor a couple times and we needed it and we have to play that way.”
The 39-year-old coach’s voice wasn’t the only one raised in the locker room.
“We we were down, we knew why we were down, so just yelling at each other to fix it,” said Stephon Castle, who had 16 points and six assists and recorded what Mitch Johnson called an All-NBA defense-type performance. “Nobody in our locker room takes anything personal. So all the stuff we were yelling at each other, it was just to help.”
Keldon Johnson, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, said the shouting came “from a place of love.”
“We’re a close group,” he said. "Any time we approach each other, it’s not about how you say it, it’s what you say. I feel like everybody got the message and people stepped up in big ways. That’s what you need. You need to have honest and vulnerable moments with each other, get on each other, tell people what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong and be able to respond to it.”
Will the Spurs need another emotional halftime against the Hornets? Their hope is they come out of the chute at the Spectrum Center with the same determined energy they showed in the second half in Houston.
“We’ve had enough games now that there’s no secret that (physical play) is going to be part of the (opponent’s) blueprint, and we’re more than capable of holding our own in our own way and we have to continue to do that more of the 48 minutes,” Mitch Johnson said.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News