Nuggets wing Peyton Watson revealed what the team was focusing on in practice as they try to end their losing skid at home.
The Denver Nuggets have been a wagon on the road as of late, having won 12 consecutive games outside of their home arena. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to bring that success back home as they’ve lost four games in a row at their Ball Arena home.
The Nuggets will get a chance to end their recent skid at home against a more than formidable opponent on Monday, however. Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets are bringing their 16-6 record to Denver for a contest against the Nuggets that will be broadcast nationally on Peacock.
After winning four road games in nine days, the Nuggets were lucky enough to have three days off from game action after defeating the Kings soundly on Thursday night. The Nuggets practiced on Saturday and Sunday, where starting wing Peyton Watson said the team was able to iron out some of the details on defense ahead of what will be a demanding matchup.
Another perhaps underrated aspect of the Nuggets’ return to Denver is the fact that some of the newer players on the team, like Watson, are still figuring out how to re-acclimate themselves to Denver’s altitude when they return from a road trip.
“I think we definitely just had a chance to kind of calm ourselves, work on some stuff that we've been needing to work on as far as our defensive scheme,“ Watson said. “Just getting in here, breaking a sweat, getting acclimated to the altitude again.
"I know myself, personally, I've tried to blow it out of my workouts the past two days and kind of just train myself because I know the game will be hard. So, just getting in here and getting prepared for the next game.”
Finding His Role
Watson had previously only started 24 games in his first three NBA seasons combined heading into this season, but he’s already started 14 of the Nuggets' 24 games and has carved out a crucial role in the team’s rotation.
“I mean, it's been super meaningful for me,” Watson said. “I never take the opportunity to even play for granted. So, let alone to start for one of the best franchises in the league. It's something that I can never say how much of a blessing that it is. So, like you said, I'm just enjoying it. I'm enjoying this time with my team and building better chemistry with my teammates.”