Why Nuggets’ Peyton Watson is not playing vs. Suns

Recently, the Denver Nuggets received a boost when wing Peyton Watson returned to the lineup for their game against the Portland Trail Blazers at home. Denver won that game in resounding fashion, with Watson finishing the night with 14 points in limited action off the bench.

The Nuggets will next hit the floor on Tuesday night for a road game against the Phoenix Suns, but unfortunately, Watson will be held out of this one due to hamstring injury management, as indicated by the latest official NBA injury report.

It certainly makes sense that the Nuggets would want to be cautious in easing Watson back into the lineup amid the injury, which kept him out of the lineup for around a month. For a time, both Watson and fellow Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon were sidelined with hamstring injuries, which was Gordon’s second such ailment of the season, and third in the last year, dating back to the 2025 playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When he’s been healthy this season, Watson has established himself as a key part of the Nuggets’ rotation, showing off a much-improved offensive game and helping Denver hold down the fort in the absence of Nikola Jokic due to a knee injury.

He also likely raised his price significantly on the restricted free agent market this upcoming offseason, with some fans pining for him to take the starting job of Cameron Johnson amid his struggles.

The Nuggets are currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place in the Western Conference, and are two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed.

Denver’s game against the Suns on Tuesday night will tip off at 11:00 pm ET from Phoenix.