Aaron Gordon Credits Teammates in Nuggets' Win Over Wizards

The Denver Nuggets picked up a much-needed 107-97 road win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday to snap a two-game losing streak, improving to 30-15 overall and 8-5 without Nikola Jokic.

Of course, getting Jonas Valanciunas back in the lineup for Thursday's contest made a huge difference, but he was not the only game-changer on the floor for Denver. Nuggets standout forward Aaron Gordon gave credit to a few of his teammates after the win in Washington.

"I think P-Wat [Peyton Watson] had a great game. Obviously, a career high, he was carrying. Getting Big Val [Jonas Valanciunas] back was huge. Mal [Jamal Murray] getting hot late. Then we started rebounding the ball. Too many offensive rebounds in the first half. I think once we took care of the glass, we were able to separate a little bit," Gordon said.

Nuggets get big individual performances

Leading the Nuggets in Thursday's win was Peyton Watson, who finished with a new career-high of 35 points, along with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocks. Watson has been incredible for the Nuggets this season, especially as they deal with numerous injuries, but his breakout has not surprised Gordon.

"This isn't surprising to me," Gordon said. "I've known P-Wat could be and is a very special player in this league. Now, he has the opportunity to showcase it. I hope his body's okay, because he's playing fantastic and we're going to need him to sustain that, and he looks sustainable. I've known P-Wat can be a really great player in this league."

Another game, another GREAT Peyton Watson performance!

⚒️ 35 PTS
⚒️ 8 REB
⚒️ 6-8 3PM
⚒️ 10-16 FGM
⚒️ @nuggets W

It's his fourth career game in the regular season with 30+ PTS, 3 of them have come just this month! pic.twitter.com/1l8btLGwew
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2026

Jamal Murray, even though Watson took control of the offense, still had a great game. Murray dropped 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 9-17 shooting from the field. Murray scored 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter, helping Denver pull away after holding just a two-point halftime lead.

Valanciunas, despite playing limited minutes, was also a game-changer, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds on 6-13 shooting from the field in just 22 minutes of action. Gordon is relieved to have Valanciunas back on the floor, not only because he makes such a big impact, but because it allows him to move back to power forward instead of playing center.

"I mean, it pushes me back to the four," Gordon said about having Valanciunas back. "It's nice having somebody bigger on the floor than me on the defensive end, on the glass, on the offensive end... I mean, he's a fantastic player. It's nice having that center, that anchor back in... It's nice. It's great having him back."

First bucket BACK pic.twitter.com/GpJNWt2OaA
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 23, 2026

The Nuggets are certainly fortunate that their health is trending in the right direction, and they should start to string together more wins as they get more of their injured players back on the floor. Thursday's win was huge for the Nuggets, but they have to turn right around for another tough test against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

Nuggets get big individual performances

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