The Denver Nuggets bounced back for a 125-118 win vs the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch, and Nikola Jokic fouling out with three minutes to go after putting up 28 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and nine turnovers was certainly cause for concern. The Nuggets survived though with Jonas Valanciunas stepping up to hit two clutch mid-range jumpers and Jamal Murray calming things down with some free throws.

The Pelicans scored 35 points in the fourth quarter to cause that scare. It wasn’t a great defensive performance by the Nuggets, but they had built up a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter that proved insurmountable for New Orleans. Rookie Derik Queen certainly tried to make things interesting though with 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four stocks. He was by far the best Pelican out there tonight, an encouraging development for a franchise that hasn’t had a lot go right.

Still, the Nuggets won, and Peyton Watson was the biggest reason why.

Watson had a career night of his own starting at shooting guard, scoring 32 points on 13-of-19 from the field and 5-of-9 from three. It was the most points he’s scored since high school and coincided with his biggest opportunity with the Nuggets so far. Watson also added a career high 12 rebounds to go with three assists.

The Nuggets have always known Watson was talented. He’s had moments of greatness in his game that deserve to shine and develop. He often goes through periods of streaky play, but that comes with being a young player. Tonight, Watson was great, taking advantage of the open shots, shooting with confidence, cutting into the paint and finishing through traffic, and simply playing a well-rounded offensive game.

One of the reasons Watson had so many opportunities was Aaron Gordon’s absence. The Nuggets star power forward was a late scratch with a hamstring injury. Starting in his place was Zeke Nnaji, who attempted just three shots and missed all of them. He was called upon to start due to the presence of Zion Williamson (a slimmed down Zion by the way). The Pelicans star power forward was okay rather than great, and Nnaji guarding him instead of Watson freed up the Nuggets wing to play more offensively.

Other than Watson and Jokic, the Nuggets had well-rounded contributions from a variety of places. Cam Johnson had an efficient 14 points and five assists, shooting just 1-of-3 from three but a perfect 5-of-5 from two-point range. His confidence driving and cutting to the basket and finishing was on full display.

Jamal Murray was less efficient with 16 points on 5-of-14 from the field, but he had eight assists and set the table well for Jokic and others. Herb Jones guarded him well tonight and made life difficult, and the Pelicans often sent two players at him to try and force the ball out of his hands.

Off the bench, Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and seven, including the aforementioned two mid-range jumpers in the clutch. Bruce Brown also had a well-rounded night against his former team with 12 efficient points, four assists, rebounds, and three steals. Spencer Jones also deserves some credit for an excellent defensive performance in the first half to help the Nuggets get back into the game.

This wasn’t Denver’s best night. Far from it actually. Jokic fouled out and had some bad turnovers, and the Nuggets had different moments throughout the game when they allowed the Pelicans to have some life despite New Orleans shooting an abysmal 7-of-34 from three-point range. Denver clearly should’ve won by more than they did.

Still, being down two starters is never easy, and the Nuggets played some lineups they’ve never played before. That’s often a recipe for failure, but also growth. Denver’s going to be without Braun for at least another five weeks, so finding different combinations that can generate rhythm and impact will be crucial.

Tonight was about Peyton Watson. Friday night will be about the Houston Rockets and how the Nuggets can match up with a true contender on both ends of the floor.