By Jared Weiss, Jon Krawczynski and Darnell Mayberry | The Athletic, 2026-05-13 02:50:15
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 砍下27分、17个篮板、5次助攻和3次盖帽，带领圣安东尼奥马刺 (San Antonio Spurs) 在周二进行的西部半决赛系列赛第五场中，主场以126-97大胜明尼苏达森林狼 (Minnesota Timberwolves)。
文班亚马在第四场失利中因肘击森林狼队的纳兹·里德 (Naz Reid) 被驱逐，但他最终避免了禁赛。本场他16投9中，帮助圣安东尼奥全队打出了53%的投篮命中率。马刺队一度领先多达30分，在开场两分钟取得7-5的领先之后，便再未落后。
尽管最终分差悬殊，但森林狼并未束手就擒。明尼苏达在第二节一度落后18分，但凭借第三节开局一波14-2的攻势，将比分追至61平。在第四节初落后20分后，森林狼在比赛末段多次将分差缩小到11分，但始终无法进一步迫近。
以下是周五明尼苏达第六场决战前的一些要点。
文班亚马与马刺的复仇之战
复仇的味道对文班亚马来说一定非常甜美。
他深知自己必须迅速且强有力地弥补第四场被驱逐的遗憾。他在首节便交出了18分和6个篮板的成绩单。根据 Stathead 的数据，这是过去30年来第三次有球员在季后赛首节达成这一数据，此前两位是勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 和尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić)。
文班亚马以他特有的方式掌控了球场，为整个夜晚奠定了基调：马刺将主导比赛，而森林狼必须拼命反击才有机会。
最终，马刺的防守压力足够强大，每当森林狼逼近时都能将其顶回。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 表现近乎完美，凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 也终于在本系列赛中找回状态。面对一个不断纠缠、让比赛变得艰难的强硬对手，马刺展现了一场极其均衡的表演。
当杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 在第四节被换下场并沮丧地扔掉毛巾时，显而易见，马刺终于对对手的粗野对抗产生了免疫力。森林狼再也无法干扰他们的心态。文班亚马彻底摆脱了第四场的阴影，从始至终完全掌控了周二的比赛。
圣安东尼奥在本系列赛中证明了他们在比赛的各个方面都有足够的才华来应对挑战。现在，他们有机会在各种意义上“生存”下来并晋级。
朱利叶斯·兰德尔持续低迷
森林狼必须从朱利叶斯·兰德尔 (Julius Randle) 身上获得更多贡献。兰德尔在前三节12投仅2中得到8分，这让森林狼几乎无法跟上马刺的节奏。
他最终得到17分和10个篮板，但其中大部分伤害是在比赛大局已定的第四节造成的。
兰德尔未能在进攻端制造威胁，这使得马刺能够投入更多精力去限制安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)，后者在第五场上半场仅有5次出手。
兰德尔曾是上赛季季后赛前两轮球队表现最好的球员之一，带领球队战胜了洛杉矶湖人和金州勇士。但到目前为止，这两轮系列赛对他来说简直是一场噩梦。进入今晚之前，兰德尔的投篮命中率仅为40%，三分命中率更是低至29%。
在常规赛场均得到21.1分后，他在第二、三、四场比赛中每场仅得12分。更糟糕的是，他在第五场只有1次助攻，且本系列赛单场助攻从未超过3次。这剥夺了森林狼进攻中至关重要的组织元素，要知道兰德尔在常规赛以场均5次助攻领跑全队。
表现挣扎的不止兰德尔一人。杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯大部分时间都深陷犯规麻烦，而鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 在23分钟内仅得到4分和5个篮板。
如果森林狼在周五无法从兰德尔那里得到他们需要的表现，他们的赛季很可能就此结束。
由生成式 AI 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, Spurs shine in Game 5 win over Timberwolves
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs shine in Game 5 win over Timberwolves
Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points with 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 126-97 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday.
Wembanyama, who avoided a suspension after elbowing the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid and getting ejected from the Spurs’ Game 4 loss, made 9 of 16 shots to help San Antonio shoot 53 percent from the field. The Spurs led by as many as 30 points and never trailed after taking a 7-5 lead two minutes into the game.
Despite the lopsided final score, the Timberwolves didn’t go away quietly. Minnesota stormed back from an 18-point second-quarter deficit to tie the game at 61 after crafting a 14-2 run to start the third quarter. And after trailing by 20 early in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves cut the Spurs’ lead to 11 multiple times down the stretch but couldn’t get closer.
Here are some takeaways with Game 6 set for Friday in Minnesota.
Vengeance for Wemby, Spurs
The taste of revenge must have been so sweet for Wembanyama.
He knew he had to make up for his Game 4 ejection quickly and forcefully. He delivered with 18 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. It was only the third time a player has done that in the first quarter of a playoff game in the past 30 years, per Stathead, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokić.
Wembanyama had full command of the floor in a way only he can, setting the tone for the evening that the Spurs would dictate the game, and the Wolves would have to fight back to have a chance.
In the end, the Spurs’ defensive pressure was strong enough to push back every time the Wolves closed in. Stephon Castle was nearly perfect, and Keldon Johnson finally came alive in this series. This was a beautifully balanced performance by the Spurs against a rugged opponent that continues to claw away at them and make life a pain.
When Jaden McDaniels hit the bench in the fourth quarter and threw his towel in frustration, it became clear that the Spurs had finally grown impervious to the roughhousing. The Wolves couldn’t get in their heads anymore. Wembanyama got Game 4 out of his system and looked completely in control of Tuesday’s game from start to finish.
San Antonio has shown over the course of this series that they have enough talent in every facet of the game to answer the moment. Now, they have a chance to survive — in every sense of the word — and advance.
Julius Randle’s struggles continue
The Timberwolves have to get more from Julius Randle than they are getting. Randle was 2 of 12 from the field for just eight points through three quarters, making it nearly impossible for the Timberwolves to keep pace with the Spurs.
He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but a lot of that damage was done in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.
Randle’s failure to become a threat on offense is allowing the Spurs to devote even more attention to limiting Anthony Edwards, who took just five shots in the first half of Game 5.
Randle was one of the best players on the team in the first two rounds of last season’s playoffs, leading them to wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. But it’s been a nightmare so far in these two rounds. Randle entered the night shooting just 40 percent from the floor, including 29 percent from 3-point range.
He scored 12 points in each of Games 2, 3 and 4 after averaging 21.1 points per game during the regular season. Even worse, he had only one assist in Game 5 and has not had more than three in a game this series. That is taking away a crucial playmaking element of the Wolves’ offense after Randle led the team with five assists per game in the regular season.
Randle wasn’t alone in his struggles. Jaden McDaniels was in foul trouble for much of the game, and Rudy Gobert had just four points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.
If the Wolves don’t get the kind of game they need from Randle on Friday, their season will likely be over.
By Jared Weiss, Jon Krawczynski and Darnell Mayberry, via The Athletic