Apr 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the basket past Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) in the first period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

'They Have a Huge Serbian Population There' – Denver Nuggets’ Peyton Watson Reveals Nikola Jokic’s Favorite NBA Opponent

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 10:55 AM ET

Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson claims that Nikola Jokic seems to turn up more than usual whenever they visit the Washington Wizards for a regular season game.

“There are definitely some performances that stand out to me, like every time we go to Washington, DC,” Watson said about Jokic on The Young Man & The Three podcast. “They have a huge Serbian population there, and as soon as you walk into the arena with Joker, they’re going crazy as if we’re the home team.”

“It’s always crazy to me that he can just flip it on and decide, ‘I’m going to get 50 tonight because there are a lot of fans here,’” he added. “It’s pretty crazy when he does that.”

Nov 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) calls out from the bench in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The numbers support Watson’s claim. Of all his opponents, Jokic averages the most points (25.9) , second-most rebounds (12.1), and highest field goal percentage (62.2 percent) whenever the Denver Nuggets take on the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital.

Denver Nuggets News: Peyton Watson praises the front office for their summer moves

In the same interview with teammate Cameron Johnson, Peyton Watson lauded the Denver Nuggets front office for adding Johnson, Bruce Brown , Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas to their roster.

Feb 5, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) takes a three-point shot past Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) in the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“This playoffs definitely showed us that you’ve got to be healthy at the right time. It was all about being able to go deep on your bench this year. We saw OKC and the Pacers went nine or 10 deep, and that really helped their starters get a little bit of extra rest, so they were able to come and close when it was needed,” Watson explained.

“I think that’s why our front office was aggressive with making trades, like for (Cam Johnson) and for Tim (Hardaway Jr.), to have that extra little spark, because two, three, four, or five points can win you a ball game,” he added.