Though the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, they got a great reminder of just how valuable Harrison Barnes can be when he’s healthy. Barnes had been at the peak of health for the Spurs for a while, but a left ankle injury kept him out for 11 days. But in his first game back, he was everything San Antonio could have wanted.
With Victor Wembanyama out of the lineup, the Spurs were always going to be fighting an uphill battle against the Nuggets. And Nikola Jokic’s 31 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists were enough to outduel the short-handed Spurs.