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With two games left to play in the NBA Cup, the Spurs are in control of their own destiny: If they win tonight against the Trail Blazers tonight and against the Nuggets on Friday, they win the group and advance to the knockout rounds, which will be played the week of December 9-16. That’s a tall order, because both games are on the road, and the Spurs are missing a lot of key players tonight, although it’s possible that Dylan can make his return tonight from the calf strain that’s kept him out of lineup since he was injured in the first Phoenix game on November 2.
The Trail Blazers will be a motivated opponent, because they can clinch the group with a 3-1 record tonight, because they have already beaten the Nuggets, and head-to-head record is the second tiebreaker after overall record. The Nuggets will be motived to beat the Spurs regardless of the outcome tonight: If the Spurs lose tonight, the Nuggets would win the group by beating San Antonio on Friday. If the Spurs defeat the Blazers, Denver could win a wildcard spot by beating the Spurs on Friday, with an incentive for running up the score to advance past other 3-1 teams. All of that was probably a bit hard to follow, so for more information, visit the NBA Cup pages on the NBA website.
The Trail Blazers have been a bit of a surprise this year, as they had an awful start and the head coach [Chauncey Billups] was charged in connection with an illegal betting operation. Billups is on extended leave, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he comes back to coach the team anytime soon, do the duties have fallen to interim coach Tiago Splitter, which is a name that Spurs fans have probably heard before. Tiago has the team playing with intensity and organization and pulling off upsets against top teams like the Nuggets and Thunder. All of this while missing a lot of key players to injury and having to take extreme measures like starting Sidy Cissoko at the point. Splitter is a guy you really like to see succeed, but hopefully not tonight.
The Spurs are coming off a tough loss against the Phoenix Suns, who have had the Spurs number this season so far. That number seems to be that the Spurs just don’t play as well on the road as they do in the Frost Bank Center, and the Moda Center is one of the tougher places for visiting teams to play. The Spurs will need a heavy dose of De’Aaron Fox and hopefully a solid return from injury for Harper. Keldon Johnson has been a key performer for the Silver and Black, and he could have a breakout game tonight. I’m hoping for a win tonight, because the rest of this road trip is brutal, the Nuggets on Friday and the Timberwolves and they need to win one or more of those games avoid falling into the play-in range in the standings.
Tiago Splitter will suit up in the fourth quarter so he can demonstrate box-outs for his team against Luke Kornet.
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
November 26, 2025 | 9:00 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest
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