The Denver Nuggets played a solid game vs the Portland Trail Blazers in their Sunday matinee, winning 128-112 in comfortable fashion.
Neither team was able to guard the other in the first 18 minutes or so, but as the Nuggets applied more defense throughout the game, they were able to gain some separation in the second half. With seven players in double figures, the Nuggets utilized a balanced scoring effort to outplay the Blazers consistently across the final three quarters.
Nikola Jokic has a triple-double, the 192nd of his career with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. Jokic’s feel for the game was extremely high, and with the Blazers using wing Toumani Camara to guard him early on while rotating help over behind him, there were open passes to make, and the Nuggets hit their shots.
Denver shot 18-of-46 from three (39%) on the game, including five made three-pointers from Cam Johnson and four made three-pointers from Jamal Murray. Johnson started the game 4-of-4 from three and helped Denver keep pace with a torrid Portland start.
Cam’s FIFTH triple pic.twitter.com/I0czDBTqf3
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 22, 2026
Murray had 18 first half points and used his gravity as a playmaker to set the table in the second half, finishing with 22 points, 7 assists, and just 2 turnovers.
Of course, it wasn’t until that second quarter when the defense actually started to improve. Denver scored 42 first quarter points but allowed 40, though only allowing 72 the rest of the game is a fairly impressive number.
“First half I thought we were going through the motions,” David Adelman shared postgame. “We were guarding their plays like it was a walkthrough and not a game, so it wasn’t good enough.”
Then, the Nuggets locked in defensively, forcing some turnovers, grabbing defensive rebounds, and committing to the fast break.
“I liked the response; I thought the second unit to start the fourth quarter was awesome. They got into people; they caused some havoc. That’s what they have to do.”
The starters had a great night overall with Jokic having the aforementioned triple-double and Murray and Johnson scoring well. Aaron Gordon had a solid all-around night with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 2-of-4 from three. Christian Braun had 15 points and 6 rebounds himself, attacking relentlessly in transition.
The bench was an important story though, headlined by the return of Peyton Watson from a right hamstring injury that held him out for six weeks. In 20 minutes off the bench, the Nuggets put the ball in Watson’s hands and gave him opportunities to get involved offensively. He paid that off with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 6-of-13 from the field.
JOKER CARD PULLED FOR THE JAM pic.twitter.com/s2bhPVq2ev
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 22, 2026
“It was exciting tonight, it was hard for me to sleep last night,” Watson stated plainly after the game. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Watson’s level of rust was apparent, but the Nuggets put him in position to play through it and get his legs back. They know how important he is to the group.
“He will need some time, but it’s good to have him back,” Nikola Jokic shared about Watson’s return to the court. “I think he needs a lot of time to get back in shape, playing shape. He missed a lot of time. He did good with energy, but he will need time to get back to playing how he was before.”
Jokic told media that it took him roughly three to four weeks to get back to a place of comfort with his own conditioning. Watson may not need that long, but he’s ready to ramp things up in the meantime.
“The coaches never forgot about me,” Watson said of his communication with coaches about his role. “Every day they would ask me how I feel, talk to me about ways they could implement me back into the lineup, just ways they were going to utilize me once the team is fully healthy.”
“You saw today they had no hesitancy to put the ball in my hand, and [Jokic] didn’t hesitate to put the ball in my hands, and that really did a lot in my confidence.”
To make room for Watson, the Nuggets played a nine-man rotation with the normal starters, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson, and Spencer Jones. There was no Jonas Valanciunas as a traditional backup center, and the Nuggets were forced to scramble defensively as a small ball unit. The coaches clearly like that group and style of play though.
“Offensively…certain nights it will look tough out there, but defensively I think we can really shut people down,” Adelman declared of Denver’s small-ball bench unit. We’ve always talked about this: if we’re a plus with that group–which we were in the second half–we know what’s coming back in.”
The Nuggets will have to navigate new territory with that group, and Aaron Gordon will likely factor into the small ball bench more consistently as his minutes restriction is lifted. Still, it’s a group that has playoff viability, and the Nuggets will be forced into those units with frequency when the playoffs arrive.
Time will tell if this is another peak followed by a valley in the next couple days, but the Nuggets appear to be playing well and trending in the right direction.
Now that they have a full rotation to play, the plan for success seems to look a lot more realistic.