The Nuggets depth could be their strength at full health.
The Denver Nuggets rolled past the Golden State Warriors 116-93 on Sunday night at Ball Arena, extending their winning streak to six games and improving to 48-28 on the season.
It was a game that got physical early, featured a massive second-half run, and once again showcased the depth that Denver has been building all year long.
Watson's Message Postgame
After the game, fourth-year forward Peyton Watson spoke about how the bench unit and small ball groups have been gelling since he returned from a 19-game absence due to a right hamstring strain that kept him off the floor from February 4 through late March.
"It's coming along. We definitely have things to work on, more in-game reps to get up and get that experience," Watson said. "But I think that we got a group of guys who aren't afraid to take on the challenge."
That willingness to compete showed up in a big way Sunday, especially with the Nuggets losing multiple forwards during the game itself.
Aaron Gordon was already out with calf soreness, Watson started in his place but dealt with foul trouble, and then Spencer Jones, Cameron Johnson, and Zeke Nnaji all went down with various injuries as the game went on.
Head coach David Adelman was left scrambling to piece together lineups on the fly, and yet Denver still dominated the second half, outscoring Golden State 70-40 after the break.
A Breakout Season Worth Talking About
The bigger story with Watson this season has been the jump he's taken as a player overall.
Last year he averaged 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in about 24 minutes a game while mostly coming off the bench behind Aaron Gordon.
This season has been a completely different story.
Watson is averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three, which is a massive leap in efficiency from a guy who shot just 35.3 percent from deep a year ago.
He stepped into the starting lineup back in November when Christian Braun went down with an injury and never really gave the spot back, even earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors in January during a stretch where he was putting up close to 25 points a night.
Before the hamstring injury sidelined him, Watson was in the middle of a genuine Most Improved Player-caliber run, and since returning he's been working his way back up to that level with games of 14, 21, and seven points in his first three outings.
Denver Rolling at the Right Time
The Nuggets are sitting fourth in the Western Conference and have won eight of their last 10 games with Nikola Jokic leading the way at 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game.
Jokic finished Sunday with 25 points and 15 rebounds while Jamal Murray added 20 in the victory.
Getting Watson fully integrated back into the rotation only adds another layer to a team that already looks dangerous heading into the postseason, and Watson sounds like he's ready for what's next even if there are still some kinks to iron out with the second unit.