Peyton Watson will miss Game 1 when the Denver Nuggets open their Western Conference playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday in Denver. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT, and Watson will remain sidelined as the first-round matchup begins.
Watson missed 25 of Denver's final 30 games of the regular season because of hamstring issues, leaving the Nuggets without one of the players they had hoped to have available deeper into the postseason. Spencer Jones was also listed as questionable for Game 1, while Minnesota listed Anthony Edwards as questionable because of a knee issue.
Edwards missed ten of Minnesota's final 13 games, and his status is the biggest injury note for the Timberwolves entering the opener. That leaves Minnesota with only one injury to report ahead of Game 1, while Denver is still trying to get its full rotation together at some point in the playoffs.
The series brings together teams that have met in the postseason in two of the last three years, and the Nuggets are trying to answer for the loss that ended their 2024 run. For Watson, the timing is especially rough: the game that starts Denver's bid for revenge is one he will have to watch from the sideline.
