As elusive as health has been for the Nuggets all season, they’re once again on the verge of having their full rotation available at the perfect time.
David Adelman says he’s hopeful that Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones will be able to play in Game 1 of Denver’s first-round playoff series Saturday (1:30 p.m.) against the Timberwolves. But the two young wings had not been cleared yet as of Wednesday.
“It’s nice to have some days to get people right,” Adelman said after practice Wednesday afternoon at Ball Arena. “Hopefully, Spence and Peyton, it gives them a better chance to come back and play, which is good for us. … And getting their bodies right and their minds right for what the challenge is going to be.”
Watson and Jones both participated in the practice, which was entirely non-contact, Adelman said. They’re both dealing with right hamstring injuries. Watson’s is a reaggravation of the strain he suffered in early February. In Jones’ case, hamstring tightness popped up at the start of April, causing him to miss the last six games of the regular season.
If they’re able to play, they’ll be two of Denver’s most important perimeter defenders against a Wolves team led by All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards.
“His change of pace, his ability to finish the ball, his ability to shoot the ball, his great separation — he’s so talented,” Nikola Jokic said. “And (he has) an ability to make tough shots. So he’s definitely one of the hardest offensive players to guard. He can do a post-up. He can do a midrange. He’s really good 1-on-1.”
Edwards has been ramping up recently after missing time late in the season with a right knee ailment. He told reporters in Minneapolis on Wednesday that he has spent the last few weeks focusing on getting his body fat down and returning to game shape. He currently weighs in at 218 pounds, the lightest he’s been since college, he said.
Christian Braun will guard Edwards in Denver’s starting lineup, but Watson and Jones represent reinforcements off the bench for a team that has struggled to keep star ball-handlers in front throughout the season.
“He can do a little bit of everything,” Braun said. “I think that even this year as opposed to when we played him in the past in the playoffs, he’s shooting the ball a lot more and a lot better. So he’s just a tough guard. He’s physical. Got to stay down on his pump fakes. He’s got the sweep-through moves. He’s just got a little bit of everything. He’s a really good player. One of the best in the league. So it’s an exciting matchup for us.”
Forget the past, Adelman says
There’s no escaping the recent history between Denver and Minnesota. But as the two teams prepare for their third playoff meeting in four years, Adelman said the Nuggets have tried to get into a frame of mind that these are not the same teams that faced off in 2023 and 2024.
“We’ve talked about that, us beating them in five, them beating us in seven all those years ago,” he said. “It’s no different than, you win the championship and people keeping talking about it (even though) it was a long time ago. This is a totally different series. (Nickeil) Alexander-Walker’s not there. We don’t have Russ (Westbrook). I mean, there’s a lot of different people two years ago. There’s no KCP. We’re a different team over the course of all these years. So I think it’s its own thing completely. That’s how we’re attacking this. I think their team has gotten better in certain ways over those years. Ant has gotten better and better. So it’s a totally different animal to me, and I’m sure they feel the same way.”
