Peyton Watson wasn’t perfect tonight, but he once again proved what he’s capable of when the Denver Nuggets need him.

After missing two free throws with less than 15 seconds in the game that would have put the Nuggets up by four points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game or send it into overtime.

Last year, in a similar moment, Watson was guarding SGA on the ball. The Thunder superstar hit a game-winning shot over Watson on Denver’s home floor, and Watson was devastated.

This time, Watson wasn’t guarding the ball, but he wasn’t about to let SGA get a shot off at the rim. Watson flew over from the weak side and blocked SGA’s shot attempt at the buzzer, preserving the Nuggets 124-122 win.

This was undoubtedly Denver’s best performance of the season. It will likely be their best win of the entire regular season. To show up tonight and execute against an undefeated juggernaut of a team in the Thunder while as shorthanded as Denver was, it was a true testament to their resiliency.

Nikola Jokic of course led the way tonight. He played 39 minutes and was truly tested by the Thunder. They doubled him every single possession, and he made an impact on every single possession. 23 points, 20 rebounds, and 16 assists. It’s a stat line that hasn’t been achieved since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. Jokic wasn’t perfect tonight, and he was getting fouled a lot. He never let it take him out of the right mindset though and continued delivering on every single play.

Michael Porter Jr. had three points at halftime. He finished with 24 points, making 6-of-10 3-pointers and moving well off the ball to generate open shots behind a rotating Thunder defense.

Russell Westbrook didn’t close the game for a second time in a row, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t excellent as well. 29 points for him was a season high to go with six rebounds, and six assists. Westbrook’s efficiency has really bounced back playing next to Jokic these last two games, and the jump shot is looking a lot better after a slow start to the year.

Christian Braun joined those three, making it four Nuggets with over 20 points tonight. Braun had 24 points and eight rebounds to go with two steals and a block. His defense on SGA was very good, with SGA often seeking out guard-to-guard screens to get Braun away from him. Braun also hit 4-of-8 from 3 and 6-of-6 from the line. What in the world has gotten into Christian Braun to start the year? He has saved the Nuggets in so many ways.

Julian Strawther closed ahead of Westbrook tonight, in part because the Nuggets knew they wanted the off-ball spacing threat. It worked out, despite Strawther not shooting particularly well. He’s fighting hard for the Nuggets every night on both ends, and though there’s a lot to work on defensively, he’s put it the effort. Strawther also had six assists and five rebounds tonight, occasionally playing point guard and finding some nice passes.

Did the Nuggets get away with some open shots given up to OKC tonight? Sure. Did they look perfect? Absolutely not.

But it was the fight that really stood out to me and everyone in the crowd. The resiliency to battle back the way Denver did was tremendous, especially against the Thunder who are relentless on both sides of the ball. Denver matched their energy and outplayed them in the end.

But back to Watson.

The 6-foot-8 small forward got the start tonight in place of Aaron Gordon. He will probably continue to start while Gordon is out and has a tremendous opportunity to figure some things out in the process. Playing with Jokic is a big deal for that, and he played 100% of his minutes tonight with Jokic on the floor. That chemistry will be important. Think about how many times Gordon and Jokic have a mind meld and find each other for easy baskets, communicate defensively, and just know what each other will do.

Watson and Jokic are still working through that, but the results will get better. Watson had 10 points on nine shots tonight. He only made one jumper, and it was an extremely clutch three on the left wing to extend Denver’s minimal lead. Watson will have to find more consistent scoring opportunities, because the other four starters aren’t going to combine for 100 (!) points very often. They will need Watson to score more if he plays 34 minutes a game.

What he did do reasonably well was pass the ball. Three assists tonight, and he moved it well in both the halfcourt and transition. The more comfortable he gets, the faster those reads and reactions have to be.

In the end though, Watson’s in the lineup to be an ace defender. He had one steal and three blocks, including the game winner. That’s a good start. The rebounding will have to improve, but being a hellacious defender in passing lanes and at the rim will go a long way. The Nuggets need that version of Watson again.

Consistency is key, so let’s see if Watson can do it again on Friday night.

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