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The story for tonight is really simple: If the Spurs win tonight, they will advance to the knockout rounds in the NBA Cup, and if they lose, they’re out. The inverse applies for the Nuggets, win and they’re in, lose and they’re out. It’s essentially a play-in game for the NBA Cup, and it will be a playoff-like atmosphere, except the consequences are more about bragging rights and a some extra bucks instead of a real championship. The money isn’t insignificant, as players like Bismack Biyombo, who is on a NBA minimum contract that’s only partially guaranteed, can make between $51,000 to $500,000 extra remuneration, depending on how far they advance, which is a huge increase to his base pay.
The Spurs are missing several key players for this road trip, but with the return of second pick overall Dylan Harper to the lineup, who should not be on a minutes restriction tonight, the Spurs could be competitive against a Nuggets line that’s missing Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon tonight. Nikola Jokic can win games all by himself, and he will also have Jamal Murray initiating the offense, who can get hot and score points in bunches. The game could get crazy near the end, because whoever is ahead has motivation to run up the score to improve their seeding in the tournament. Both the Nuggets and Spurs have positive point differentials, but not as much as the Lakers, Suns, or OKC, which currently has an astronomical +71 and won’t be caught by anyone unless the Suns pull off a miracle and beat them tonight by a huge margin.
I would watch the matchup between De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray, and whoever scores the most points in that matchup could decide the game. Let’s tune in and watch the game, a Final Score article should go up shortly after the final buzzer (written by yours truly) and you can share your thoughts in the comments.
Nuggets coach David Adelman sits his entire starting lineup for the second half in a blatant attempt to avoid the extra wear and tear of NBA Cup Tournament games against top teams, and instead play bad teams that didn’t make the tournament during Cup week. This almost backfires, as the backups are the most motivated players for the tournament and play their hearts out, but the Spurs win at the buzzer on a Dylan Harper drive to the basket.
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
November 28, 2025 | 8:30 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: KENS
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