Despite not being on the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama for a huge matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Wembanyama ended up being held out of action due to right ankle soreness, and the Spurs definitely could have used him to finish off a Nuggets team that they were beating for 90 percent of the game despite his absence before falling in the end, 136-131.
The long-term health of Wembamyama is always going to be the priority, as he is the Spurs' best and most important player. Their championship hopes this year start and end with the wunderkind Frenchman. And it seems as though his absence could extend beyond a single game.
After their loss to the Nuggets, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said that, despite expecting Wembanyama to return for their Saturday night contest against the Charlotte Hornets, they cannot know for sure if he'd be able to suit up for that game. The good news, as per Jared Weiss of The Athletic, is that Wembanyama's ankle issue is “not a long-term thing”.
Spurs exercise caution with Victor Wembanyama, still push Nuggets to the brink
It's a testament to how deep and excellent the Spurs squad is that despite being without Wembanyama on Thursday, they were in control for much of their game against the Nuggets.
Stephon Castle, in particular, brought his A-game for the Spurs on Thursday. He put up a bonkers stat line of 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, while De'Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes added 27 and 20 points, respectively.
But without Wembanyama, putting up a sustained defensive effort to slow down the league's best scoring team was always going to be a tall order. The Nuggets caught on fire in the fourth quarter, denying the Spurs a win that would have ranked among one of their best this season.
