The San Antonio Spurs travel to Denver Friday for the NBA Cup matchup at Ball Arena, tip-off scheduled for 9:30 PM ET.
San Antonio (12–5) enters on a one-game winning streak following a 115–102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Nuggets (13–4) carry a two-game winning streak after back-to-back wins over Memphis.
The Spurs face significant absences with Victor Wembanyama (left calf strain), Stephon Castle (left hip flexor strain), and Jordan McLaughlin (left hamstring strain) all sidelined, alongside Harrison Ingram on a two-way assignment.
San Antonio will rely on De’Aaron Fox (25.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG), Devin Vassell (14.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG), and Harrison Barnes (12.9 PPG) to anchor offense and floor spacing.
Denver also contends with injuries, including Christian Braun (left ankle sprain), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), and Julian Strawther (lower back management), with Tamar Bates and DaRon Holmes II unavailable due to G League assignments.
Nikola Jokic (29.6 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 11.1 APG) and Jamal Murray (23.2 PPG, 6.8 APG) remain the cornerstone of Denver’s attack, supported by Cameron Johnson (9.9 PPG) and Peyton Watson (9.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG).
This marks the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
