Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Both teams had major absences, but the Spurs had enough talent left to take care of a Denver squad that rested their entire starting lineup. The Spurs, with some help from the schedule, snapped their five-game losing streak with a victory in De nver. The Nuggets rested their entire starting lineup after a two-overtime loss in the first game of a back-to-back on Tuesday against the Timberwolves, which allowed a San Antonio squad missing Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan to pull off the upset, winning 113-106 on the road. The start of the game was unwatchable, as expected for a matchup in which both teams were missing several of their normal rotation players. The Nuggets had absolutely no clue what to do in half-court offense, and they largely stood around until someone fired up a shot. The Spurs were trying to go to their veterans in the post and were not playing with a lot of pace. San Antonio clearly had a better idea of what it was doing, and despite not being exciting, they got an early lead. Things got more entertaining once the benches checked in, mostly because the pace went up and the lack of cohesion seemed more familiar. An aggressive Blake Wesley, looking for his shot, was the highlight of the opening frame, which ended with the Silver and Black up 12. The Spurs’ defense had poor communication and made some understandable mistakes to start the second, but the offense made up for it, with Sandro Mamukelashvili featuring heavily both in the good and the bad. Malaki Branham, the last available player to check in, showed off his scoring acumen by dropping 11 points in the frame, and in general, the visitors looked in control of the game. As the minutes passed, however, Denver started to find more success on offense, first attacking the paint relentlessly when there was no rim protector and then hitting big outside shots once Bismack Biyombo checked back in. Both teams scored 33 in the frame, and the lead remained at 12 at the break after being as large as 20 at one point. Allowing teams to stick around when you are outplaying them is always dangerous, and it came back to haunt the Spurs in the third quarter. The Nuggets came out of the locker room with energy and were the aggressors, forcing their way to the paint. The Spurs fouled a lot, and while Denver missed some of those free throws, it allowed them to get into the bonus early. As San Antonio tried to protect the paint, shooters were left open, and they made a few threes. Russell Westbrook turned back the clock and was a dominant force on the break and even in the half-court, when his shot was falling. When there were misses, the home team crashed the offensive glass. After the dust had settled, the visitors' lead was only three heading into the fourth. Westbrook took a break to start the final frame, but the Nuggets had momentum on their side and kept it close, as the Spurs continued to be outhustled. Denver quickly took a lead before Chris Paul and Jordan McLaughlin hit some jumpers to reclaim it. The former MVP checked back in soon after, but Westbrook had run out of gas at that point. San Antonio did a good job of getting the ball out of his hands, and Paul took over. There could have been a more exciting ending, but the obvious limitations from both teams prevented the Silver and Black from closing it out decisively and the Nuggets from mounting a comeback. Ultimately, the Spurs did enough late to come away with a win that would have been hard to predict looking at the schedule before the season. Game notes Stephon Castle was an assist away from a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. He also had more shots than points and made no significant impact on defense. His performances have ups and downs, but in the aggregate, he normally manages to be a net positive. Julian Champagnie did a little bit of everything in his return to the starting lineup, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. He could potentially be a fifth starter if his shot gets more consistent, but he keeps showing that being a closer might not be in the cards for him. He struggled down the stretch when the Nuggets forced him to make decisions. Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes finished with 17 and 20 points, respectively. They have been playing well recently and have still not missed a single game. It’s possible neither is on the roster next year, but their additions have been a resounding success, even though the season has not gone as planned. Blake Wesley scored in double digits for the sixth time this season. He hit a couple of layups and made his three three-point attempts, but the Nuggets still put their center on him for a stretch, which shows opponents still think he’s not an outside threat. Mamu had a double-double and was as energetic as usual, but struggled on defense. Those two are auditioning for a roster spot and have mostly made a decent case for themselves recently. The veterans who are looking to stay in the league, Biyombo and McLaughlin, had completely different games. Biyombo was thoroughly outplayed by Jordan, who dominated inside, and he couldn’t make up for the team’s lack of side on the boards. McLaughlin did what has kept them in the league for this long: do enough to contribute while staying within himself. Play of the game It was hilarious to see Malaki Branham shoot every time he got a chance. He played 20 minutes and got 15 field goal attempts up. Some came in the flow of the offense, but Malaki was clearly determined to let it fly as often as possible, even if there were other options. Because of his commitment to chucking, he gets this spot. Branham Bucket pic.twitter.com/zPS4shmJYL— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 3, 2025 Next game: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday The Spurs will host the best team in the East before going on a four-game road trip. It’s a good thing they snapped their losing streak in Denver, because it could have lasted for a while otherwise. ...read more read less