The Nuggets pulled out another massive win on Monday night over the Rockets, winning 128-125 in overtime. But the win came at a cost, as Denver lost yet another key player to injury, this time Peyton Watson. P-Wat left the game after just five minutes with a right trunk contusion and did not return.
David Adelman called the injury a “stinger” and said it should be “nothing long-term as far as I can understand”. It sounds like, essentially, Watson hurt his side and made bone-on-bone contact and wasn’t able to get loose again.
Denver has already been playing without Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun thanks to injuries, and Watson has been filling in admirably. He has slid right into the starting lineup and done a good job on both ends of hte floor.
Hopefully, Adelman’s early read is accurate, and Watson won’t be sidelined for long, but if not, this one may be tough to overcome. AG and Braun are the team’s two best defenders in the starting lineup, and Watson may be the best defender off the bench.
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Denver survived well in the Rockets game without Watson, who is normally an outstanding defender against Kevin Durant, but that may not be sustainable. Without Gordon, Braun, and Watson, they’ll need guys like Spencer Jones, Cam Johnson, and Bruce Brown to step up and take on even bigger roles.
Those guys are already playing a bit over their skis, and the expectation is about to get even loftier. Luckily, as long as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are healthy and in the lineup, this team should at least have a chance against just about everyone.
But the main goal of this regular season was for the Nuggets to bring in additional depth, to boost the bench lineups, and to lessen the burden on the star players. It was a good plan, and it was well executed, but the injuries piling up are threatening to ruin the plan.
At some point, the coaches and front office are going to have to make some tough decisions and balance the goals of winning regular season games versus keeping players like Jokic and Murray fresh and healthy.
It’s a delicate tightrope to walk, and these circumstances are completely outside of the team’s control. But, it is the reality of the current situation, and something they are going to have to deal with. Ideally, those players will be back soon, and Jokic and Murray will be able to get some more rest going forward, but it just goes to show that even the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry.