Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:
NBA Insider
Something that would’ve sounded audacious even a couple months ago now seems more reasonable.
“I have those aspirations,” Nuggets wing Peyton Watson said of being an All-Star after Denver’s 121-111 loss to the Thunder on Sunday at Ball Arena. “I feel like I can be one of the best two-way players in the league. I feel like I’m emerging as one of the best two-way players in the league right now, honestly.”
For the first three years of Watson’s NBA career, he showed potential to become a defensive specialist. The offense has quickly caught up in his fourth NBA season, especially in the last few months when the Nuggets have been without a majority of the starting lineup from opening night.
Against the Thunder’s league-best defense, it wasn’t one of Denver’s two All-Stars leading the way. It was the 23-year-old Watson, who finished with 29 points on 17 shots, including a 5-for-7 mark from 3-point range. In the first three years, Watson was a 32.8% 3-point shooter. Heading into Tuesday’s game in Detroit, he’s at 42.7%.
“The shooting is something that’s opened up … you’ve seen my entire game,” Watson said. “I’m able to get downhill a lot easier. It just makes the offensive game easier for my teammates as well.”
The defense was a different story Sunday. Without Christian Braun or Aaron Gordon, Watson was tasked with taking on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning Most Valuable Player led all players with 34 points on 16 shots and 13 assists. Watson was on the receiving end of some of those buckets, but Gilgeous-Alexander also hunted switches to target Denver’s weaker defenders.
“’Peyt’ was really good. He competed, did his best to guard Shai, get through all those screens and all the actions that’s basically just a million pick-and-rolls with a million different people,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said.
“Peyt’s effort was awesome, as it has been the last couple of months.”
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, goes up for a basket between Denver Nuggets guards Peyton Watson and Jamal Murray in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Defending the league’s second-leading scorer served as a learning experience, but he wanted to keep the lessons to himself. The Thunder and Nuggets play three more times this regular season, and another playoff matchup would surprise no one on either side.
“He’s a super-complete player. I think he passed the ball amazingly tonight. That got some other guys going,” Watson said. “
“He’s just a tough cover all around. I’m constantly, obviously, aware that he’s looking for contact, looking to be physical on the offensive end and bait me into tough positions to get me to foul him and things like that. A lot of my worry with him is just keeping him off the free throw line and also not picking up too many quick fouls.”
Early in Sunday’s game, Watson sized up the Thunder’s other All-Star. Watson cut down the middle of the lane after a split action, caught a bounce pass from Nikola Jokic and saw old friend Chet Holmgren sliding into the paint to protect the rim. Neither Holmgren’s 7-foot-1 frame nor his 7-foot-6 wingspan prevented Watson from throwing down a one-handed slam over his fellow McDonald’s All-American from the high school class of 2021. Holmgren and Watson also were teammate on the United States’ under-19 World Cup roster.
“Me and him have been going at it since we had dreams of playing like this. To see him be an All-Star, that’s super dope. That’s super big for him. I’m happy for him,” Watson said.
“Those plays are always fun. It’s always fun to dunk on everybody. I don’t fancy dunking on anybody more than the next guy, but to play against Chet in the highest levels of basketball is really a full-circle moment every single time I see him out there on the floor. There’s nothing but respect between me and him.”
Watson’s hoop dreams don’t end with the All-Star Game. After winning gold alongside Holmgren in Latvia, he wants to be an Olympian, too. At this rate, it’s hard to declare anything overly audacious.
“Every day I wake up, I’m the most confident I’ve ever been. I think that’s just a culmination of the hard work and the reps that I’ve put in, but I’m 23 years old,” Watson said. “The best part about this is the room for improvement to me. That’s always been the beautiful part about it. I’m a really good player now, and there’s so much room for growth. I’m looking forward to growing in so many ways.”
What I’m Thinking
The Nuggets losing to the Thunder in the first matchup of the season means something, but it doesn’t mean everything.
Both coaches dealt with rotations missing multiple starters and other players under minutes restrictions. Adelman and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault still acknowledged Sunday’s contest wasn’t a run-of-the-mill regular season game prior to tipoff.
Denver’s rotation featured more guys — Spencer Jones, Jalen Pickett, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas and Bruce Brown — who weren’t part of last season’s playoff matchup. That could also work in Denver’s favor, as the Nuggets should be more familiar with the Thunder’s scheme and personnel.
“I think they’re running the exact same stuff. It’s just hunting matchups. They don’t run a lot of motion or ball movement,” Adelman said. “It’s more of finding a matchup and then attacking it, and they should do that, because they have really talented isolation players and the most talented isolation player in our league. You have to make a decision.”
Oklahoma City was simply better in the first meeting of the season. Both teams hope to have rotations that look more like last season’s playoffs when they meet again in Oklahoma City on Feb. 27.
“We just got to be better. We didn’t play our best tonight,” Jamal Murray said. “We were still in the game the whole game. I think we just keep our heads up and look forward to next game.”
The loss meant Denver, now six games behind the Thunder, shouldn’t commit any energy to chasing the No. 1 seed. It doesn’t mean the Nuggets have no hope of beating Oklahoma City in the playoffs and go on to winning a championship.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, front left, gets trapped with the ball by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, front right, and forward Jaylin Williams in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
What They’re Saying
The Nuggets coach made it clear officiating wasn’t the deciding factor Sunday. He also made it clear he wasn’t thrilled with the whistle Nikola Jokic received when compared to Gilgeous-Alexander.
“It’s a night-to-night thing with how they’re allowed to guard him as well. He shoots four free throws. There’s a lot of contact everywhere. Their best guy shoots 13. We just have to play through the contact,” Adelman said.
“Night-to-night big guys are officiated different than small guys. It’s just the truth. Different quadrants of the court are called differently, but we have to react to that.”
—Jokic offered an explanation as to why he and Murray have been able to avoid arguments over nearly a decade of being teammates.
“One guy is always mad, and one guy is not. We balance each other,” Jokic said in the post-game locker room.
“We have a great relationship on the court. So many good moments. Bad moments, too, but that’s what creates good moments. It’s a pleasure to have him over there.”
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, left, gets tangled up with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
What I’m Following
Christian Braun continues to progress. Braun, who hasn’t played since Jan. 9, was upgraded to questionable ahead of Denver’s game in Detroit on Tuesday. Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson remain out for the Nuggets. Caris LeVert is questionable for the Pistons with an illness.
Sunday’s loss cost Adelman an opportunity to coach the All-Star Game in his first season as a head coach. San Antonio’s win over Orlando gave the Spurs a 33-16 record, while Denver’s loss dropped them to 33-17. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was ineligible after coaching last year’s game.
Terry Rozier received good news Monday. An arbitrator ruled that Rozier’s $26.6 million salary cannot be withheld while he’s under federal investigation as part of a gambling probe.