Nuggets getting playoff education with stars out

The Denver Nuggets went 10-6 with Nikola Jokic sidelined with an injury. They're now 3-1 since Aaron Gordon's latest injury after a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

Jokic showed little rust in his return, scoring 31 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes, along with 12 rebounds and five assists. The Nuggets didn't have Gordon, but they did get 46 points out of their much-improved bench.

Injuries forced the Denver Nuggets to lean on reserves

Jokic has missed 17 games this season. Gordon has missed 26, Cameron Johnson has missed 21 and Christian Braun has missed 35. Add in Jamal Murray's six absences and the Nuggets have had their starting lineup miss over 100 games so far.

That means the Nuggets have needed their young backups to grow up fast. They have. 23-year-old Peyton Watson averaged 22.1 points while Jokic was out and made half of his three-pointers. Third-year guard Jalen Pickett shot 42.9 percent from deep without Jokic and averaged 4.4 assists. 25-year-old Zeke Nnaji has a perfectly acceptable 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, holding down the fort for 22 minutes per game.

Friday, Watson scored 21 points while taking a team-high 17 shots, and the Nuggets were 22 points better than the Clippers with him on the court. He was good with Jokic out, and he's even better with him back.