Three Takeaways From Nuggets' NBA Cup Elimination Loss to Spurs

With a trip to the NBA Cup quarterfinals on the line, the Denver Nuggets suffered their third home loss of the 2025-26 season, getting upset by a shorthanded San Antonio Spurs squad.

Despite the Spurs playing without Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie both stepped up big time, helping San Antonio pull off a 139-136 win in Denver. Here are a few key takeaways from the Nuggets' sixth loss of the season, and unfortunately, their last outing in the 2025 NBA Cup after the Spurs clinched West Group C.

Does defense exist anymore?

Nov 22, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman questions the officials during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

With 275 total points scored between the two teams on Friday night, defense seemed nonexistent. A 35-point outing from Vassell marked the third-most in a single game of his career, as he efficiently shot 12-17 from the field and 7-9 from three-point range.

As for Denver, Jamal Murray continued his early-season success with 37 points in Friday's loss, shooting 13-20 from the field and 5-8 from three-point range.

In most cases, Denver will actually have a favorable chance to win a shootout situation, but Friday's game simply did not go their way. Of course, most of that falls on Denver's shortcomings.

A second-half collapse

The Nuggets blow an 18-point lead in the second half and are eliminated from the NBA Cup with a 139-136 loss to the Spurs. They’ve never reached the knockout stage. This was closest they’ve been.

Three straight home losses. Denver is 13-5 with a B2B in Phoenix tomorrow.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) November 29, 2025

After a dominant 41-18 second-quarter beatdown, the Nuggets went into halftime with a 15-point lead, and even led by as many as 18 in the second half. However, the Spurs put together an 18-4 run at the end of the third quarter to take the lead, and it was a back-and-forth battle after that.

Not many teams get to have this type of experience in the regular season, where it is a win-or-go-home environment. While it was still good for the Nuggets to get that experience early in the season, they showed that they were not ready for the moment by blowing an 18-point lead with a chance to advance in the NBA Cup.

Cam Johnson keeps his hot hand

Nov 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) shoots the ball as Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After an underwhelming start to his Nuggets tenure, which had some fans contemplating whether or not Denver made the right offseason trade, Cam Johnson has found his footing recently. In Friday's loss, Johnson finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and two steals on 10-16 shooting from the field and 6-9 from three-point range.

Especially while Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun are sidelined, the Nuggets need more from Johnson. Luckily, he has been stepping up to the plate, but the Nuggets happened to fall short on Friday night, despite an incredible performance from their top offseason acquisition.

The Nuggets will now move on to face the Phoenix Suns on the road on Saturday, and will not be competing for an NBA Cup title any longer, unfortunately.

Does defense exist anymore?

A second-half collapse

Cam Johnson keeps his hot hand

More Denver Nuggets Content