In a tight, physical battle against the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets’ injury list grew by one more crucial name. This time, it was their reliable young star, Peyton Watson, who held down the fort in Nikola Jokic’s absence, only to be forced to make an early exit to the locker room.

Watson left early in the fourth quarter. He held his leg and limped after a likely hamstring injury. He was rushing to the rim to make a pass to Jokic, but unfortunately, his hamstring gave out at that moment. It was a no-contact injury.

The 23-year-old had played over 30 minutes by then, including four minutes in the last quarter, and scored 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field with five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.

The game went into overtime, but the Nuggets have not yet provided an official update on his status, and it’s unlikely one will come before the game concludes.

The team was already coming out of a harrowing month without its starters, including Nikola Jokic. Late in the first quarter, Spencer Jones knocked his head hard against Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks big man left with a bleeding gash near his right eye and returned patched up. Jones was sidelined with a head contusion.

Jokic also had an injury scare in the first half. He almost aggravated his knee that hyperextended over a month ago. But he remained in the game and through double overtime.

The shorthanded Nuggets are hustling in overtime with Jokic, Christian Braun, Jamal Murray, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown. In the meantime, it looks like we’d have to wait for any update on Watson.

Peyton Watson’s injury could take a toll on the Nuggets

Peyton Watson was the breakout star of the Denver Nuggets’ injury-plagued campaign. When the team’s momentum stalled after losing Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas in back-to-back games, Murray found incredible support in Watson’s emergence.

The UCLA alum is averaging 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals with the Nuggets this season, shooting 50.1% from the field and 42.5% from the arc. With Jokic, Valanciunas, and Braun barely returning, Watson was a key piece in the starting lineup.

If this is a serious hamstring injury, the youngster could miss an extended stretch of games. Worst-case scenario, he joins Aaron Gordon‘s four-to-six-week recovery plan from his own hamstring injury.

Back in December, a right trunk contusion forced Watson to exit the game against the Houston Rockets, and he subsequently missed the next two games. The Nuggets lost one of them, which ended a six-game winning streak.

Losing Watson makes the upcoming schedule, starting with the Chicago Bulls, much more challenging.