Nuggets' Peyton Watson Gives Injury Update After Two-Game Absence

The Denver Nuggets have not been the luckiest team in the NBA this season when it comes to injuries, as they have been playing without two starters for over a month. However, they are lucky enough to have high-level depth pieces, so they can continue to win, even while shorthanded.

Well, last week, one of those depth pieces went down with an injury. Peyton Watson, who has been starting in place of the injured Christian Braun, sustained a trunk contusion that caused him to miss two straight games, and put him in jeopardy of missing a third on Monday night against the Utah Jazz. Thankfully, Watson's game-time decision status went in favor of the Nuggets, and he was able to suit up.

After helping the Nuggets to a dominant 135-112 win over the Jazz, Watson was asked how he felt being back on the court after his two-game absence.

"I felt good, I felt good, still some pain there," Watson responded. "It is one of those things you have to warm up and keep warm, but something obviously did not bother me too much tonight. I knew that playing these two games was going to be important for my conditioning. Just trying to get my legs under me before Christmas, so I am happy with how it went."

Peyton Watson makes immediate impact

Even though Watson said he is still dealing with some pain, nobody would have been able to tell by his performance on Monday night.

In his first game back from the short absence, Watson re-entered the starting lineup and finished the game with 20 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 3-4 from three-point range. Of course, the 23-year-old wing was making a huge impact on the defensive end as well, helping the Nuggets hold the red-hot Jazz to just 112 points after they went four straight games of scoring 127 or more.

Peyton Watson puts the ❗️ on Denver's 33-5 opening run!

Tap to Watch: https://t.co/r3tpU7WHLj pic.twitter.com/THcTMbIyKa
— NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2025

The Nuggets are thankful to have Watson back in action, as that is one less injury they have to worry about. Now, the next step is to get Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun back from injury, but the way they have been able to hold things down without them is a great sign.

The Nuggets now move on to the second leg of a back-to-back to face the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Peyton Watson makes immediate impact

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