Nuggets' Peyton Watson Exits vs Knicks With Concerning Injury

The Denver Nuggets standout left in the middle of their matchup against the New York Knicks with a worrisome-looking injury.

Feb 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) warms up prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

A brutal season of injury luck for the Denver Nuggets seems to only be continuing deeper into their 2025-26 campaign, as breakout fourth-year forward Peyton Watson is the latest to fall into that trend after leaving in the middle of Wednesday's game vs. the New York Knicks with an apparent hamstring injury.

The injury for Watson would occur in the middle of the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets forward was running to the basket after a pass to Nikola Jokic, in which he immediately grabbed the back of his leg in the moments after.

Peyton Watson went down with a hamstring injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/u6fpMRv8tr

— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) February 5, 2026

Quickly, Watson would make his way to the Madison Square Garden locker room for further evaluation.

Watson would end up not returning to the game, and now could have concerns for what his status may look like moving forward.

Peyton Watson Leaves vs. Knicks With Hamstring Strain

Throughout the night in New York, the Nuggets have had multiple injury scares that have made the contest a bit more of a stress-inducing watch for Denver fans than usual.

Denver's two-way standout forward, Spencer Jones, left in the middle of the matchup with a head contusion from a brutal collision with Karl-Anthony Towns, already leaving the Nuggets' frontcourt depleted as is. Nikola Jokic also went down with a worrisome non-contact knee injury early in the first half, but would eventually be able to return.

However, Watson's injury is certainly the most concerning of the three. A hamstring injury is far from an issue any player wants to deal with at this point in the season, and especially not for one of the brightest components of the Nuggets' lineup over the course of the year.

Jan 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) talks to head coach David Adelman during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets' Swiss Army knife forward, has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury for most of the season. He initially suffered a strain back in November that sidelined him until the beginning of January, which would turn into another hamstring strain less than a month later that now has him out of the mix until early to mid-March.

It remains to be seen just how severe Watson's injury is, but for any stretch of time that he'd be forced out would be a major loss for the Nuggets' rotation that's just been starting to turn a positive corner for their health in recent weeks.

Denver had just gotten back Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun from their respective injuries within the past two weeks, allowing the Nuggets to roll out more than half of their regular starting five for the last couple of games on their calendar.

But just as that luck begins to come around, the injury bug strikes at yet another inopportune time as it has all year long.

In the 48 games Watson has played this season, he's averaged a career-high 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, continuously helping keep the Nuggets afloat in the Western Conference throughout all of their injury troubles, but may now find himself as the latest player sidelined.

More Denver Nuggets Content

• Should Nuggets Pursue Chris Paul After Raptors Trade?
• Final Look: Ranking the Nuggets' Best Trade Deadline Options
• The One Player Most Likely to Be Moved by the Nuggets
• Nikola Jokic Reveals What Nuggets Must Improve Amid Losing Streak
  
• Nuggets Suddenly Have Potential Path to Acquire Mike Conley