Peyton Watson made the most of his expanded role during yesterday’s 125-118 road win by the Denver Nuggets against the New Orleans Pelicans. The 23-year-old swingman notched 32 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and five three-pointers on 13-for-19 shooting from the field in 34 minutes of action.
Watson was called to the starting lineup to fill in for Aaron Gordon, who was a late scratch due to a minor hamstring injury, and the UCLA product thanked his teammates and coaches for their trust in him during the postgame interview.
“It feels good,” Watson stated. “This coaching staff and my teammates have been so empowering of me to go out there and be myself, and we all knew it was a matter of time before I go out there and the production follows. So I am just glad to be able to have the opportunity to play on this team and help us pull out a win.”
The Denver Nuggets improved to an 11-3 record to start the season, good for second in the Western Conference. They have now won eight of their last 10 games.
Denver Nuggets News: Another day in the office for Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic recorded his third consecutive triple-double yesterday against the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Denver Nuggets star had 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists on 10-for-18 shooting from the field across 35 minutes. However, he also had nine turnovers.
Besides Watson and Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown also contributed 16, 14, 14, and 12 points, respectively.
The Denver Nuggets will continue their two-game road trip on Saturday, when they visit the Houston Rockets, before returning home on Sunday to host the Sacramento Kings.
