Peyton Watson's Return Sparks Win Over Portland
- Peyton Watson returned Sunday and the Nuggets used a small-ball lineup similar to the ones from their championship run in 2023, observes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Watson, who had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes, adds another element to Denver’s defense. “One thing (Watson) brings to the table, too, is like an extra rim protector, which is really important,” Cameron Johnson said. “And he does it time and time again.”
Peyton Watson Expected To Return Sunday For Nuggets
After missing six-plus weeks due to a right hamstring strain, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson is expected to be active for Sunday’s game against Portland, as Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
Watson was having a breakout fourth season for Denver prior to the injury, which he sustained in a double overtime loss at New York on February 4. In 49 games this season, including 39 starts (30.7 minutes per contest), the 23-year-old wing has averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal on .496/.417/.727 shooting.
The 30th and final first round-pick in the 2022 draft, Watson will be a restricted free agent this summer if he’s given a qualifying offer. That QO is currently worth $6.53MM, but would increase to $9.62MM if he meets the starter criteria by starting two more games this season.
In part because of injuries — Watson, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas have each missed extended time because of various ailments — the Nuggets have been pretty inconsistent this season, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. They opened the season with a 20-6 record, but have gone 23-22 since.
Denver’s up-and-down play was on full display on Thursday, when the team trailed Toronto by nine points entering the fourth quarter before pulling out a comeback victory. While head coach David Adelman acknowledged the Nuggets’ erratic season, he also said he has “extreme confidence” in his team.
“With what we have in the locker room, there’s no reason for us not to believe,” Jamal Murray said. “Of course we’re confident.”
The Nuggets are currently 43-28, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Bucks’ Nance Among Two-Way Players Nearing Game Limit
Bucks forward Pete Nance had one of his best games of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and blocking two shots. Although Milwaukee lost the game by a score of 123-116, Nance was a +7 during his 30 minutes of action.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), it was the 29th consecutive game – and the 47th overall – in which Nance was active. That’s important because the 26-year-old is on a two-way contract, which comes with a limit of 50 active games.
The Bucks still have 14 games left on their regular season schedule, but if they want Nance to be active for more than three of those contests, they’d have to promote him to their standard 15-man roster, which is currently full.
Most promotions from a two-way contract to a standard deal in a given league year occur between the trade deadline and March 4. That way, teams don’t prematurely fill a roster spot they might need for a deadline deal and have the ability to back-fill a newly opened two-way slot on or before March 4, the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts. Promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster after that deadline means that a club would have to leave one of its two-way slots open for the rest of the season.
Promotions can still happen between March 5 and the end of the regular season, but it’s a less pressing priority for teams who don’t have 15-man roster spots available and/or won’t need their two-way standouts for the postseason. The Bucks, whose playoff chances are on life support, probably fall into both of those categories, so it will be interesting to see whether they feel compelled to make a move with Nance as he nears his 50-game limit.
Here are the other players are on two-way contracts around the NBA who have fewer than 10 games of eligibility remaining (their remaining games are noted in parentheses):
- Moussa Cisse, Mavericks (4)
JD Davison, Rockets (4)
Tyrese Martin, Sixers (4) - Caleb Love, Trail Blazers (5)
David Roddy, Nuggets (5) - Tristan Enaruna, Cavaliers (6)
Blake Hinson, Jazz (6)
Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (6)
Payton Sandfort, Thunder (6)
Dalen Terry, Sixers (6) - Norchad Omier, Clippers (7)
Nate Williams, Warriors (7) - Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kings (8)
Jamal Cain, Magic (8)
Julian Reese, Wizards (8) - Trevor Keels, Heat (9)
KJ Simpson, Nuggets (9)
Jalen Slawson, Pacers (9)
Ethan Thompson, Pacers (9)
Chris Youngblood, Trail Blazers (9)
Some of these players were just signed a couple weeks ago and didn’t have that many games of two-way eligibility to begin with, so the fact that they’re nearing their limit isn’t a big deal for their respective teams.
Sandfort, for instance, joined the Thunder on March 2, giving him 12 total games of regular season eligibility. He has been active for six, but has a DNP-CD in all of them. It’s safe to assume Oklahoma City won’t be looking to find a way to promote him to its standard roster.
Others on this list were regular contributors earlier in the season but have been deactivated since they got close to their respective limits. Cisse, for example, was at 42 active games at the trade deadline, but has been in the Mavericks’ lineup for just four of 18 contests since then. Davison and Love are among the others who have found themselves exiled to the inactive list on a permanent basis in recent weeks. Their teams have gotten by without them lately and don’t appear to be prioritizing promotions.
That doesn’t mean none of these players will be converted to standard contracts by April 12 though. The Jazz, Warriors, and Magic are among the teams that have open roster spots, so Hinson, Williams, and Cain, each of whom has been seeing a decent amount of playing time recently, should be considered candidates to fill those openings.
Western Notes: Watson, Grizzlies, Ishbia, K. Johnson
After missing starters and rotation players for nearly the entire season due to health issues, the Nuggets are inching closer to finally submitting a clean injury report. The team appears hopeful that wing Peyton Watson will be able to return this week from the right hamstring strain that has kept him on the shelf since February 4, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
With the exception of the players who are currently assigned to the club’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, Watson is the only player left on Denver’s injury report.
Watson has been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Philadelphia, and Benedetto suggests he wouldn’t count on the 23-year-old being activated for Wednesday’s game in Memphis. However, it sounds like Friday’s contest vs. Toronto could be a viable return date for Watson, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- FedEx executive Richard Smith tells Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal that he hired an advisory firm to assess whether Grizzlies owner Robert Pera is looking to sell or relocate the franchise and was told no on both counts. “I don’t think there’s any truth to rumors that he wants to move the team,” said Smith, who added that he and his family would’ve been interested in making a bid for the Grizzlies to keep them in Memphis if Pera were looking to sell. The Grizzlies and the city of Memphis are currently engaged in negotiations about the team’s lease at FedExForum — the current agreement runs through 2028/29.
- The binding mediation process to resolve the legal dispute between Mat Ishbia and a pair of Suns shareholders could result in Ishbia buying out those minority owners and increasing his stake in the team to 96%, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Those owners, Scott Seldin and Andy Kohlberg, are the last remaining holdovers from the Robert Sarver era in Phoenix and currently control about 13% of the franchise, Holmes explains.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was a full-time starter for three seasons from 2020-23, but he transitioned to a sixth man role in 2023/24 and has since embraced the idea of coming off the bench, as Tom Orsborn details for The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). While Johnson wasn’t initially thrilled by losing his starting job, he and the Spurs are thriving this season as he makes a case for Sixth Man of the Year honors by averaging 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with a .529/.377/.789 shooting line. “I feel like when you want to win, you got to remove your ego, especially when we got the team we have,” Johnson said. “We all want to see each other be successful. I had to pull my ego away and say, ‘This is what’s best for the team.’ And if I can maximize my role coming off the bench, as talented as I am and with the things I can bring to the game, I feel like we’ll be in great shape throughout games.”
Northwest Notes: George, SGA, C. Johnson, Blazers
With Jazz guard Keyonte George not expected to have his hamstring strain reevaluated for another week-and-a-half, his chances of winning this year’s Most Improved Player award appear to be on life support. Most Improved Player is one of the awards that requires candidates to appear in at least 65 games — George is at 54, and one of those games won’t count toward his minimum, since he played fewer than 15 minutes.
In other words, in order to qualify for award consideration, George would have to return to action next Saturday and play in Utah’s final 12 games, which appears highly unlikely. As Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune writes, even before George’s most recent injury, head coach Will Hardy had made it clear that the 22-year-old’s long-term health would be the team’s priority over reaching that 65-game threshold.
“I would like to get Keyonte 65. I’m not ever trying to take away someone’s ability to have individual success,” head coach Will Hardy said in early March. “But I think Keyonte also understands that we’re going to approach it a game at a time, and we’re going to try to make sure that he’s healthy. That’s always going to be our approach. We’re going to choose the health of our organization, the health of our players, over chasing awards.”
While he likely won’t be on the ballot for Most Improved Player this spring, George has taken a promising step forward in 2025/26, registering new career highs in points (23.6), assists (6.1), and steals (1.1) per game, as well as field goal percentage (45.6%), three-point percentage (37.1%), and free throw percentage (89.2%). He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension beginning in July.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- In the wake of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s NBA record for most consecutive games with at least 20 points, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman takes a look at how the Thunder guard became the league’s most consistent scorer. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 20 or more points in 127 consecutive regular season games — the last time he failed to reach that mark was on October 30, 2024, when he had 18 vs. San Antonio.
- Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson has had an up-and-down first year in Denver and admits that there’s “still an element of figuring it out,” even with just a month left in the regular season, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). According to Johnson, who has scored at least 15 points in three straight games for just the second time this season, the coaching staff has encouraged him to be more decisive. “I think sometimes, he’s trying to make perfect plays, instead of just making the play that is right there in front of you (that) is the right decision,” head coach David Adelman said. Johnson will be extension-eligible this summer as he enters the final year of his current contract, which will pay him $23.1MM in 2026/27.
- Visiting Portland this week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he has been encouraged by the steps that have been taken so far to secure public funding for renovations to the Trail Blazers‘ Moda Center, according to The Associated Press. “I’ve had great conversations with the governor and the mayor, and it’s been a bipartisan effort,” Silver said. “I think everyone in this community recognizes that, even in addition to the Trail Blazers and the (WNBA expansion) Fire — and we can’t forget about the Fire, which are about to open this season — that these arenas are multi-use facilities, whether it’s conventions or trade shows, concerts, graduations, you name it. They’re part of the life blood of communities. So it’s not just for the Trail Blazers and the Fire. You need a state-of-the-art arena here.”
Nikola Jokic Plans To Finish His Career In Denver
- Luguentz Dort committed another flagrant foul against Nuggets center Nikola Jokic on Monday, but the reaction to this one was less contentious than the incident 10 days ago that saw the Thunder forward get ejected, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN. Dort swung his left arm while trying to get around a Jokic screen and accidentally hit him in the face. He was whistled for a Flagrant 1 and later apologized to Jokic. “Just lost in the competition,” Dort said. “But shook his hand, [said] ‘great game’ and I apologized that that happened.”
- In a recent appearance on the X&O’s Chat podcast, Jokic said he intends to finish his career with the Nuggets, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I wouldn’t even like to imagine that,” he said of the possibility of ever leaving Denver. “I’ve found peace here. My two kids were born here, and my family is here. I’ve built a life. I love it here.” Jokic added that he wouldn’t consider playing in the EuroLeague when his time in the NBA is done.
Injury Notes: Murray, Gordon, LeBron, Cunningham, Giannis
Nuggets fans can breath a sigh of relief: Jamal Murray‘s left ankle sprain isn’t serious. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), the star point guard is expected to be listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup in Oklahoma City and is considered day-to-day.
Murray sustained the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s blowout home loss to New York and was unable to return. Head coach David Adelman said after the game Murray was “really sore” but typically bounces back quickly from ankle injuries, which proved prescient in this case.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- While Aaron Gordon wasn’t happy with his performance in his return to action on Friday, he’s “grateful” to be playing again and says he’s in a good spot physically after missing 17 straight games with a right hamstring strain, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Gordon has actually missed 36 total games as a result of right hamstring issues — he originally strained it on November 21, returned for 10 games, then aggravated the injury on Jan. 23. “I’ve gotta stay on top of it. But I play without worry,” Gordon said when asked about the risk of re-injury. “When you’re worried about an injury out there, that’s usually when it happens. So I feel great. My body feels good. It’s just the timing and the pace of the game that needs to come back to me now, but I feel good.”
- Lakers forward LeBron James missed his second consecutive game on Sunday vs. New York due to a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays. ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported (Twitter video link) during the game that James’ absence was more due to the foot injury than his bruised elbow. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is considered day-to-day, per Andrews. Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber are both active Sunday after previously being sidelined with knee and back injuries, respectively.
- After missing Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn with a left quad contusion, Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been upgraded to probable ahead of Sunday’s contest at Miami, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham, a fifth-year guard, has played in 55 of Detroit’s 62 games so far this season. Caris LeVert (left wrist sprain) has been ruled out for the second of a back-to-back, Patterson adds.
- The Bucks will be without their best player on Sunday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf injury management) won’t play against Orlando on the second of a back-to-back, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Forward Kyle Kuzma is questionable to suit up due to a thoracic spine contusion.
Injury Notes: Murray, Nuggets, Pistons, Kuminga, Black
The Nuggets had three rotation forwards back in action on Friday, with Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), Cameron Johnson (right ankle inflammation) and Spencer Jones (right shoulder strain) all suiting up against New York. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, the Nuggets were thrilled to have Gordon, who was on a minutes restriction, in the lineup after he missed 17 consecutive games.
“I think (we missed him) more on the defensive side,” Nikola Jokic said, alluding also to the injured Peyton Watson. “They’re really good on offense, and they give us different variation and different weapons on offense. But I think their length and their ability to guard, we kind of miss more. Definitely, it’s gonna help us.”
Friday marked the first time since November 12 that Denver had its opening night starting lineup (Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Johnson, Gordon and Jokic) available, Durando notes. However, that five-man group didn’t come away from game unscathed, as star guard Murray sprained his left ankle late in the second quarter and was unable to return (YouTube link).
Head coach David Adelman said Murray would be reevaluated on Saturday, adding that the 29-year-old was “really sore” but typically bounces back quickly from ankle sprains, per Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of The Associated Press.
“This has just been insane,” Adelman said. “Every time we get somebody back I feel like somebody else goes out. … So, whatever group we have that is healthy for OKC (Sunday), whatever minute restrictions there are and all the excuses, we just have to play a hell of a lot better.”
Here are some more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- The Pistons expect Ausar Thompson to miss multiple games due to a right ankle sprain, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters on Saturday, including Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News (Twitter video link). “I think it’s going to be a minute,” Bickerstaff said of Thompson’s return timeline. Cade Cunningham, who was originally questionable for Saturday’s matchup vs. Brooklyn because of a left quadriceps contusion, has been downgraded to out. Bickerstaff said the star guard is considered day-to-day, per Davis.
- Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga will miss his second straight game Saturday when Atlanta faces Philadelphia, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks. Kuminga is battling left knee inflammation.
- Third-year guard Anthony Black suffered a low back strain in the first quarter of Saturday’s contest at Minnesota and has been ruled out for the rest of the game, the Magic announced (via Twitter). The former lottery pick recently missed a pair of games — his first absences of the season — due to a right quad contusion.
Injury Notes: Flagg, Niederhauser, Nuggets, Demin
Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, who has been out since February 10 due to a left midfoot sprain, is expected to return to action on Thursday in Orlando after missing the club’s past eight games. Co-interim general manager Michael Finley first suggested during a Wednesday radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan that Flagg’s return was imminent, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“That’s the plan right now,” Finley said of Flagg returning on Thursday. “I think it’s still a game-time decision, but he looked good in his workouts yesterday, he looked good earlier today, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that he could come back and give us some minutes tonight.”
Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link) has since confirmed that Flagg will return tonight, while Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News echoes that report. According to Curtis, the plan is for the first-year forward to be on a minutes restriction vs. Orlando, then see an uptick in usage on Friday in Boston, barring a setback.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- After sustaining a right foot injury in the Clippers‘ win over Indiana on Wednesday, reserve center Yanic Konan Niederhauser will miss at least the next two games, staying home as the team visits San Antonio on Friday and Memphis on Saturday, tweets Joey Linn of SI.com. Isaiah Jackson, who took Niederhauser’s place in the rotation in Wednesday’s game, scored 10 points in 18 minutes against his former team and should see an increased role going forward.
- The Nuggets have formally ruled out forwards Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain), and Spencer Jones (right shoulder strain) for Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers, the first of a back-to-back set, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Gordon is reportedly targeting Friday’s matchup with New York for his return, while Watson may not be far behind him. Jones, meanwhile, is missing a third straight game, while Cameron Johnson (right ankle inflammation) is listed as questionable after sitting out on Monday in Utah.
- Rookie guard Egor Dёmin will miss his third straight game on Thursday when the Nets play at Miami, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. The eighth pick in last year’s draft is currently sidelined with what the team calls left plantar fascia injury management. “Right now, he’s not good to go,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “We’ll see what the next step is. It’s important that we manage them.” As Holmes notes, Dёmin missed most of Brooklyn’s training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Tyus Jones Signs With Nuggets
March 5: The Nuggets have officially signed Jones, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). The point guard will earn $814,552 for the rest of the season, while Denver carries a cap charge of $514,682.
March 2: Free agent point guard Tyus Jones plans to sign with the Nuggets, his agent Kevin Bradbury tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette notes (via Twitter), the Nuggets had one opening on their standard roster, and they’ll use it to sign Jones, who was waived by Dallas on Saturday. The 29-year-old retained his playoff eligibility because he was released prior to Sunday’s deadline.
Jones’ deal will cover the rest of the 2025/26 season and he will earn a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum, reports Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
The 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Jones is in his 11th NBA season. He’s known for his ability to set up teammates and take care of the ball. The ex-Duke point guard holds career averages of 7.3 points, 4.3 assists, and just 0.8 turnovers in 20.7 minutes per game across 738 regular season appearances for Minnesota, Memphis, Washington, Phoenix, Orlando, and Dallas.
After four-year stints with both the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, Jones has bounced around the NBA in recent years, playing for four teams in the past three seasons. He opened this year with the Magic, having signed a one-year, $7MM deal with the team during the 2025 offseason, but had a disappointing year in Orlando, averaging just 3.1 PPG and 2.6 APG on .349/.281/.875 shooting in a bench role.
Jones was traded to the Hornets at the deadline in what was a salary-dump deal from the Magic’s perspective, allowing them to duck below the luxury tax line. Charlotte subsequently flipped him to the Mavericks in a separate trade.
At the time, reports indicated that Dallas had attempted to sign Jones last summer before ending up with D’Angelo Russell and that they’d be happy to have him on the roster for the rest of the season. Jones appeared in eight games with the Mavs, averaging 3.9 PPG and 3.8 APG on .382/.211/.500 shooting in 16.6 MPG.
However, Jones evidently preferred to catch on with a playoff team, and now he has agreed to join Denver, which won the championship in 2023 and was eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals each of the past two years in a pair of seven-game series.