The Utah Jazz remain undefeated after a 122-110 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic was off to a dominant start with 24 points in 15 minutes until suffering a knee contusion that ruled him out of the game. The Nuggets stayed competitive without him, but they couldn't overcome the Jazz depth Tuesday at Vivint Arena.

Utah trailed early in the fourth quarter until a 19-4 run helped the home team take control of the game.

Donovan Mitchell helped close out the victory with clutch plays down the stretch:

Rudy Gobert finished with 23 points and 16 rebound as one of seven Utah players in double figures as the team improved to 3-0 on the year. The squad doesn't appear to be slowing down in 2021-22 after finishing last season with the best record in the NBA. 

The Nuggets (2-2) couldn't keep up in the early battle of Western Conference contenders.

Notable Performances

Nikola Jokic, C, DEN: 24 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds

Aaron Gordon, PF, DEN: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 9-13 FG

Will Barton, SF, DEN: 21 points, 4 rebounds

Donovan Mitchell, SG, UTA: 22 points, 6 assists

Rudy Gobert, C, UTA: 23 points, 16 rebounds, 1 block

Jordan Clarkson, PG, UTA: 19 points, 3 rebounds

Aaron Gordon Flashes After Nikola Jokic Injury

The beginning of the game was what we have come to expect from Jokic, who was putting up MVP-type numbers in the first half alone.

The center had 24 points in just 15 minutes matching up against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and was nearly impossible to defend:

The only thing that slowed him down was a knee injury, which eventually ruled him out of the game. The positive is that he seemed ready to return in the second half before a cautious approach from the coaching staff:

While Jokic's status will be the important storyline going forward, the Nuggets will be encouraged by the play of Aaron Gordon in his absence.

The forward hadn't scored more than a 12 in a game this year until breaking out Tuesday.

Gordon slowed down in the fourth quarter and the Nuggets didn't have enough players to pick up the slack, finishing with just 13 bench points. 

If Jokic misses time, however, Gordon will be a key part of keeping the team afloat. 

Role Players Thrive in Jazz Win

Rudy Gobert earned his third-straight double-double and Donovan Mitchell reached 20 for the second game in a row, but it wasn't the best performance from either of the team's stars.

Gobert was quiet offensively for much of the game and had just eight field-goal attempts while Mitchell finished 1-of-9 from three-point range.

The Jazz still had plenty of help from the rest of the rotation, including strong games from Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic:

Clarkson outscored the Nuggets' entire bench while finishing plus-19 on the court.

Hassan Whiteside also made his presence felt with 10 points and four rebounds before being ejected in a late-game scuffle.

The Jazz have a lot of weapons for opponents to defend, helping the team succeed even if the stars aren't carrying the offense.

When Mitchell is making his shots, Utah will be extremely difficult to beat.

What's Next?

The Jazz begin a three-game road trip on Thursday with a matchup against the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets are scheduled to host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.