Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

Huge frontcourt injuries have left both the Nuggets and the Jazz scrambling for answers.

In 12 games with Gobert in the lineup this season, Utah scored at least 100 points in five of them. In the eight games he has missed since suffering the injury, they've topped 100 points in six of eight games. Theoretically, Gobert's absence shouldn't make the team better offensively—he's a good offensive player for his position—but it simply seems like the Jazz have found an increased urgency on that end of the floor. (Plus, they've increased their pace of play.) Their biggest breakthrough yet came in their most recent game, a 121-108 home win over Milwaukee on Saturday, in which they made a season-high 18 three-pointers. Rookie SG Donovan Mitchell hit six of them en route to a career-high 24 points. He's already improved greatly as a pro, averaging 17.8 PPG in November after posting 9.3 PPG in October. PG Ricky Rubio, who arrived from Minnesota during the offseason, had taken on a distressing bulk of the Utah scoring load early in the year. The prolific passer can get buckets when necessary, but should by no means be a team's leading scorer. Him passing off a good portion of his shots to Mitchell ASAP was a good move for this team's offense. SG Rodney Hood was excellent in 29 bench minutes against Milwaukee, scoring 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Hayward's departure appears to have paved the way for a Hood breakout that was a long time in the making. Rubio and Mitchell join a starting frontcourt of SF Joe Ingles, PF Derrick Favors and PF Jonas Jerebko to begin games, although Jerebko typically plays significantly fewer minutes than the other four. Ingles has been on fire all year at 49.1% from deep.

Even before Millsap went down, the Denver offense ran through 22-year-old C Nikola Jokic. The Serbian has already consistently lived up to outsized expectations, but whether he can keep a young Nuggets team in the playoff chase without the talented veteran power forward by his side remains a question for now. In Memphis on Friday night, though, he seemed to answer with an assertive "yes." Jokic showed off his full arsenal of skills, finishing a 104-92 victory with 28 points (on 11-of-17 shooting), 13 rebounds and eight assists. He scored 14 of his points in a clutch fourth-quarter performance, a period in which Memphis C Marc Gasol—perhaps Jokic's closest stylistic predecessor at the position—curiously did not play. Guards Gary Harris and Jamal Murray were effective sidekicks on the night, finishing +21 and +18, respectively, and each scoring 15 points despite shooting a combined 2-of-13 from three-point range. While they obviously play a different position that Millsap, his effect on the team's depth showed in their minutes totals: They each played over 37. Murray, who has a reputation as a shooter, is only hitting 27.6% from deep this year. It will be a serious problem if he doesn't improve significantly, but the fact that he can make a positive contribution while missing shots is, for now, a good sign. PF Kenneth Faried, once seen as a rising star in the league, could find himself back in an important role due to Millsap's injury. His 31 minutes, 14 points and nine rebounds against the Grizzlies were all season highs.