By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-04-05 12:33:23
圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)（前）在2026年4月4日周六于丹佛进行的一场NBA常规赛下半场中，与丹佛掘金队后卫克里斯蒂安·布劳恩 (Christian Braun) 争抢地板球。(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
周六，在丹佛经历了一场134-136的加时苦战并惜败后，马刺队走出了波尔球馆。这是他们近三周半以来首次品尝到垂头丧气的滋味。
他们的11连胜宣告终结。实际上，他们对俄克拉荷马城雷霆队西部榜首位置的追逐也基本告一段落。
球队的第60场胜利不得不推迟到来。
尽管如此，马刺队还是想对掘金队说两个字：谢谢。
“发生的一切对我们都有好处，”维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 表示，“面对一支目前正在为目标而战的球队，这是一次真正的考验。”
在那种马刺队在未进季后赛前所能感受到的最接近季后赛的氛围中，尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 率领掘金队克服了13分的落后劣势，在加时赛中率先冲过终点线击败了马刺。
约基奇全场砍下40分和13次助攻，其中包括在加时赛最后一分钟的两记关键入球，为丹佛锁定了胜局。
文班亚马则以34分、18个篮板和5次盖帽还以颜色。
比赛还剩1分39秒时，马刺队还领先6分，但随后卡梅隆·约翰逊 (Cameron Johnson) 完成了一次3+1，将分差缩小到2分。阿隆·戈登 (Aaron Gordon) 在比赛还剩6.2秒时扣篮得手扳平比分，为属于约基奇的加时赛拉开了序幕。
“这是一场极具竞争力的比赛，”主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说道，他的球队将在周一回到主场迎战另一支胜率超过五成的球队——费城76人，“从第一次球权开始，竞争就非常激烈。能参与其中是一场很有趣的比赛。”
马刺队在今晚之前已经连续七场比赛以两位数的优势获胜。在他们本赛季最长的11连胜中，有四场胜利的领先分差至少达到了25分。
在丹佛，马刺队面对的是一支已经取得50胜的掘金队，后者正与步履蹒跚的洛杉矶湖人队争夺西部第三的位置。
如果说周六是对马刺队的一次季后赛压力测试，那么他们失败了。但这没关系，至少目前是这样。
“我认为这是我们需要经历的，尤其是考虑到过去一周半我们面对的那些球队，他们并不是在为我们所追求的目标而战，”前锋朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 说道。
马刺队在加时赛中错失了扳平比分的绝佳机会，当时德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 在一次2打1的快攻中配合失误。
福克斯在给瓦塞尔的空接传球失误后抢回了篮板，但随后的短距离跳投未能命中。
约基奇随即在另一端以一记抛投命中，在比赛还剩9.8秒时将掘金队的领先优势扩大到4分。
赛后，福克斯对那次失败的空中接力承担了责任。
“我告诉德文，‘我本该直接把球传给你，让约基奇不得不去追球，’”全场19投7中的福克斯说道，“如果你传空接，他就有机会回到防守位置。那是我的责任。”
周六的失利是马刺队自3月12日以来的首场败仗，而当时他们是在主场输给了……掘金。
马刺队和掘金队将在4月12日常规赛收官战中于弗罗斯特银行中心再次交手。假设掘金队能夺回西部第三的位置，两支球队可能会在季后赛第二轮狭路相逢。
尚帕尼获得比赛用球： 尚帕尼直到周六赛后助理教练迈克·诺伊斯 (Mike Noyes) 将比赛用球递给他时，才意识到自己打破了丹尼·格林 (Danny Green) 保持的队史单赛季三分球纪录。
“我想，‘噢，等等，我打破纪录了吗？’”尚帕尼说道。
尚帕尼在对阵掘金的比赛中三分球9投6中，使他本赛季的三分球总数达到192个。此前的纪录是由格林在2014-15赛季创下的191个。
“我把所有的功劳都归功于我的队友，他们传球给我，并在我空位时找到我，”尚帕尼说，“能和他们一起庆祝真是太好了。”
对于在周六打破纪录，尚帕尼只有两个遗憾。一是马刺队输掉了比赛。
另一个呢？他有些希望自己能把破纪录的时刻留到周一，届时马刺队将对阵曾在2022年2月裁掉他的76人队。
“那将会非常美妙，”尚帕尼笑着说道。
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：Why the end of the Spurs' winning streak was good for them
Why the end of the Spurs’ winning streak was good for them
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, front, pursues a loose ball with Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun in the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Spurs walked out of Ball Arena on Saturday after a 136-134 overtime loss at Denver downtrodden for the first time in 3 ½ weeks.
Their 11-game winning streak was over. For an intents and purposes, so was their pursuit of Oklahoma City for the top seed in the Western Conference.
The team’s 60th win would have to wait.
For all of that, the Spurs had two words for the Nuggets: Thank you.
“Everything that happened is good for us,” Victor Wembanyama said. “It was a real test against a team that is actually playing for something right now.”
In an atmosphere that was as close as the Spurs will get to the playoffs without actually getting to the playoffs, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Spurs to the OT finish line.
Jokic finished with 40 points and 13 assists, including a pair of baskets in the final minute of OT to seal the deal for Denver.
Wembanyama fought back with 34 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks.
The Spurs led by six with 1:39 to go, then gave up a 4-point play to Cameron Johnson to pull the Nuggets with two. Aaron Gordon tied the score on a dunk with 6.2 to play, setting the stage for an OT period that belonged to Jokic.
“It was an extremely competitive game,” said coach Mitch Johnson, whose team returns home to face another over-.500 team Monday against Philadelphia. “There were high stakes from the first possession for sure. It was a fun game to be a part of.”
The Spurs came into the night having won seven consecutive games by double figures. Four of the 11 victories on their season-long streak had come by at least 25 points.
In Denver, the Spurs faced a 50-win Nuggets team fighting with the hobbled Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed in the Western Conference.
If Saturday marked a playoff stress test for the Spurs, they failed. That is OK, for now.
“I think it’s something we needed, especially with the games we’ve had for the last week and a half against teams that aren’t fighting for what we’re fighting for,” forward Julian Champagnie said.
The Spurs squandered their best chance to knot the score in overtime when De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell misconnected on a 2-on-1 fast break.
Fox regained the rebound after his lob to Vassell went awry, but missed a short jumper.
Jokic followed with a floater on the other end to push the Nuggets back ahead by four 9.8 seconds remaining.
Afterward, Fox took the blame for the failed alley-oop.
“I told Dev, ‘I should have thrown it directly to you and made Jokic have to chase it,’ “ said Fox, who was 7 of 19. “You throw a lob, he can get back into the play. That’s on me.”
Saturday’s defeat was the Spurs’ first since March 12, when they lost at home … to Denver.
The Spurs and Nuggets play again once more in the April 12 regular-season finale at the Frost Bank Center. The teams could be on a collision course for a second-round playoff meeting, assuming Denver overtakes the No. 3 spot.
Champagnie gets game ball: Champagnie did not realize he had broken Danny Green’s single-season franchise 3-point record Saturday until after the game, when assistant coach Mike Noyes presented him the game ball.
“I thought, ‘Oh wait did I beat it?’ ” Champagnie said.
Champagnie made 6 of 9 from beyond the arc against the Nuggets to bring his season 3-point total to 192. Green owned the previous record of 191, set in 2014-15.
“I give all the credit to my teammates, passing me the ball and finding me when I’m open,” Champagnie said. “It was good to celebrate it with them.”
Champagnie had only two regrets about snapping the record Saturday. One was that the Spurs lost the game.
The other? He halfway wishes he would have saved the record-breaker for Monday, when the Spurs face a 76ers team that waived him in February 2022.
“That would have been lovely,” Champagnie said with a smile.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News