The Denver Nuggets are poised to get a boost on Sunday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reported Saturday that Peyton Watson is expected to return after missing more than six weeks with a hamstring strain.

Watson’s breakout season was interrupted by injury in early February, and that setback sidelined the fourth-year wing the past 19 games.

Advertisement

Before he went down with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain late in a double-overtime road loss to the New York Knicks on Feb. 4, he was playing the best basketball of his young career.

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

From Dec. 31 to Feb. 4, Watson averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 48.5% from the field during that span, including 43.9% from 3-point land.

That surge began on New Year’s Eve, coinciding with the start of Nikola Jokić’s 16-game absence from an injury that saw him suffer a bone bruise while hyperextending his left knee on Dec. 29.

Advertisement

The three-time NBA MVP returned on Jan. 30. In the four games with Jokić back on the court, Watson kept his foot on the gas. He put up 21, 29 and then 17 points before mustering just 10 in his injury-shortened appearance versus the Knicks.

Key return for Nuggets’ stretch run

Watson’s return is reportedly slated to arrive with just 11 games remaining in the Nuggets’ regular season. Denver is currently 43-28 and fifth in the Western Conference standings, although it’s only 2.5 games behind the third-place Los Angeles Lakers. That said, the Lakers own the tiebreaker over the Nuggets.

Maybe more importantly, Denver is getting healthy at the right time. The key will be maintaining that status the rest of the way.

Advertisement

As for Watson, the 23-year-old UCLA product will try to resume his career season. Prior to the 2025-26 campaign, he hadn’t averaged more than 8.1 points per game or started more than 18 games in a season.

He’s gotten the starting nod 39 times this season and is posting 14.9 points per game.