After months of overlapping injuries, the Nuggets have missed the mark on David Adelman’s recent dream of playing the last 20 regular-season games at full health.
But the prognosis is encouraging for at least 10.
Denver is hoping to have Peyton Watson back from his right hamstring strain by the end of this week, Adelman said Monday. Watson was scrimmaging 3-on-3 as the Nuggets wrapped up practice, preparing to face the 76ers on Tuesday (8 p.m. MT, NBC/Peacock).
“Hopefully within the week,” Adelman said. “ … It’s all about how he feels, and how the medical guys feel like he’s responding to the stress he puts on his body playing 3-on-3, doing full-on conditioning with (strength and conditioning coach) Felipe (Eichenberger) and those guys. So it’s a process. It’s day-to-day.”
The Nuggets (41-27) were supposed to have a three-game homestand with plenty of rest built in this week. Instead, they’re set to host Philadelphia, fly to Memphis that night for a rescheduled game Wednesday, then return to Denver for two more home matchups Friday and Sunday.
Watson started traveling with the team again last Monday when it visited Oklahoma City, signifying a step forward as he began the ramp-up process. He was able to see family over the weekend in Los Angeles, where the Nuggets lost an overtime heartbreaker to the Lakers.
Wednesday will mark six weeks since Watson suffered the injury during a game in New York, interrupting his breakout season as a secondary ball-handler and shot creator for the Nuggets. The 23-year-old wing is averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range.
He was initially given a return timeline of approximately four to six weeks.
“Taking his time, making sure that he’s healthy,” said Aaron Gordon, who recently returned from the same injury. “Like I’ve said, We need everybody on this team for us to win. We’re gonna need everybody.”
For the 76ers, center Joel Embiid is expected to return from an oblique injury sometime during their upcoming road trip but not for the first game in Denver. That means his streak will extend to six consecutive games missed at Ball Arena. The last time he played a road game in Denver was in November 2019.
Austin Reaves congratulates Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers after his winning jumpshot defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-125 in overtime of a game at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Last Two Minute report reaction
The Nuggets weren’t frustrated by the NBA’s admission of an incorrect call that went against them late in regulation Saturday.
Spencer Jones was whistled for committing a non-shooting foul on Austin Reaves with nine seconds to go and Denver leading by three. Reaves tried to go into a shooting motion as the contact occurred, hoping to earn a 3-point shooting foul and an opportunity to call the game.
But it turns out a foul shouldn’t have been called at all; Jones got all ball, according to the league’s Last Two Minute officiating report. It didn’t specify which team should’ve been awarded possession on an out-of-bounds call, but the ball appeared to touch Reaves last after Jones knocked it out of his hands. Hypothetically, it could have been Denver’s ball with a chance to ice the game at the line.
But as Adelman pointed out Monday, the Nuggets wanted to intentionally foul in that scenario anyway. They were trying to prevent Los Angeles from getting up a game-tying 3-point attempt.
“We don’t have a camera angle that good (on the bench iPad) to know if that was a clean (play). We’re taking a foul in that situation,” he said. “My initial thought when I read the Last Two Minute report was, if we did have a view from the back of the bench and I do challenge that and they do deem it a foul, am I putting us in a situation where now it’s not a two-shot foul? It might be a three-shot foul if they deem it a foul.”
Reaves eventually pulled off a perfect intentional free-throw miss to force overtime. The Lakers won a last-second shot by Luka Doncic.
“We lost that game because they had 33 points off our turnovers,” Adelman said, unconcerned by the officiating error.
Standings watch
Almost as important as Denver’s games this week will be a pair of matchups between the Lakers and Rockets in Houston. They’re two of the four Western Conference playoff teams separated by 1.5 games as of Monday.
“I think anybody that tells you they don’t look at the standings is probably lying,” Christian Braun said. “I think that everybody watches it.”
“If you don’t know that, that’s embarrassing, if you’re a professional basketball player,” Adelman added. “… This is the playoffs for us. Three through six, three through seven, anything could happen these next weeks. So yeah, a daily look at what’s happening and who’s playing who (is important). Lakers-Rockets next couple games, I’m very aware of that. Minnesota losing to OKC (on Sunday), I’m very aware of that.”
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are about to get a break from especially high-stakes games after facing four Western Conference playoff teams last week. All four of their opponents this week are either in the East or outside the top-six playoff picture in the West.