Devin Vassell's 35-point flamethrower and a wild 18-point comeback powered the Spurs past Denver 139-136 to punch their NBA Cup ticket without Wemby.
The San Antonio Spurs went into Denver shorthanded, fell behind by 18, and still walked out with a 139-136 statement win over the Nuggets at Ball Arena and an NBA Cup quarterfinal berth.
Devin Vassell went absolutely nuclear, dropping a season-high 35 points on 7-of-9 shooting from deep as the Spurs stunned the Nuggets on Friday night.
With Victor Wembanyama (calf) and Stephon Castle (hip) sidelined, Vassell stepped straight into star mode and never blinked.
He wasn't alone. Julian Champagnie delivered his best game of the season with 25 points, giving San Antonio a much-needed second scoring punch in a game that felt like it might get away early.
Denver closed the first half on a 23-6 blitz to take a 74-59 lead, then Jamal Murray buried a three to open the third and push the gap to 18.
And then the Spurs flipped the script.
San Antonio owned the third quarter, slicing into the lead behind relentless attacking and lights-out shooting. By the time the horn sounded, the Nuggets' 18-point cushion had shrunk to a single point, 104-103, and Ball Arena got very quiet.
The Spurs didn't let up. They kept firing from deep as eight different Spurs hit at least one 3-pointer, and kept punishing Denver's mistakes.
San Antonio scored 30 points off 17 Nuggets turnovers and lived at the line, hitting an absurd 30 of 32 free throws to control the final stretch in a high-octane shootout.
Murray did his best to drag Denver across the finish line, finishing with 37 points and becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to surpass 10,000 career points.
Nikola Jokic added 21 and tossed in another ridiculous behind-the-back dime to Spencer Jones in the second quarter as the Nuggets built their early lead.
Cam Johnson chipped in 28 for Denver, but it still wasn't enough to stop the Spurs' second-half wave, where San Antonio outscored the Nuggets 80-62.
Both teams were missing key pieces.
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) were out for Denver, but it was San Antonio that looked deeper, tougher, and more composed when it mattered.
No Wembanyama. On the road. Down big. And the Spurs still found a way.
Next up, San Antonio heads to Minnesota on Sunday with momentum, confidence, and an NBA Cup quarterfinal spot locked in.