Devin Vassell scored a season-high 33 points, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 139-136 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

The Spurs rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Nuggets 139-136, advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

The Denver Nuggets were well within reach of advancing in the NBA Cup for the first time in franchise history in the midst of their latest matchup vs. the San Antonio Spurs, and seemingly had control of the game heading into the half after a dominating second-quarter effort.

The NBA Western Conference Cup standings have now been altered after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

In Wednesday’s victory over the Trail Blazers, De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Spurs as he recorded 37 points, six rebounds and eight assists while Devin Vassell added 23 points and six rebounds of his own. Now San Antonio will try to grab their 13th victory of the season on Friday night in a tough road matchup against the Nuggets.

The Denver Nuggets picked up a much-needed win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, bouncing back from a nail-biting loss to the San Antonio Spurs the night befor

• Friday's game is a winner-take-all contest in NBA Emirates Cup group play action, with the winner advancing to the knockout rounds from West Group C. Neither the Spurs nor Nuggets have advanced past the pool play stage in the Cup's two-year existence.

Then, in a tie ballgame, with just over a minute to go, Devin Vassell activated the hidden clutch gene. He had already caught fire with 25 points and five threes, but he drained a go-ahead three to give the Spurs a slight edge.