The Nuggets avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season on Thursday night, going into Washington and beating the Wizards, 107-97, behind a career-high 35 points from the red-hot Peyton Watson. But the points don’t tell the full story; along with the 35, P-Wat hit 6 threes, blocked 4 shots, and had 2 steals. The only other player to put up that stat line in NBA history is Victor Wembanyama.
Wemby, of course, is a 7-foot-5-inch alien who may be one of the best shot blockers and all-around defenders of all-time already, who also happens to shoot over 40% from three-point range. He’s essentially an NBA cheat code, and the only person in the history of the league who has been able to replicate that is now Peyton Watson.
Watson has been absolutely incredible this season, especially since Nikola Jokic went down with an injury. He has taken a huge leap on offense, becoming a big-time scorer and offensive initiator while maintaining his high-level defense
The total package was on display Thursday night on both ends of the floor as the Nuggets got a big road win.
Watson survives multiple injury scares against Wizards
What’s even crazier about Watson’s career night is that it almost got derailed on multiple occasions. Early in the third quarter, Watson went down with an apparent leg injury that forced him to head to the locker room briefly. But he was able to return shortly after and looked no worse for the wear.
Then, late in the fourth quarter, Watson went up for a huge dunk and was fouled hard in midair by Khris Middleton, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to land awkwardly. Watson stayed down for several minutes, writhing in pain after the scary-looking fall, but was ultimately able to get up and stay in the game after a lengthy review.
Please we’ve been scared and traumatized too much this game already 😭 pic.twitter.com/6ftewUTrfi
— Tatiana (@Tatianaclinares) January 23, 2026
Through all of the brutal injuries the Nuggets have faced, Watson has been one of the few constants, proving to be one of the most valuable players on the team. The last thing they would want to see is him going down with any kind of injury that could get in the way of the best run of his career.
Obviously, nobody wants to see injuries, but if there’s one massive silver lining, it has been the breakout of Watson, who has quickly ascended from role player on the fringe of the rotation to budding star, and potentially one of the hottest free agents in the league this summer. Let’s hope the Nuggets are ready to open up the checkbook.