The Nuggets' bench lineup and the Lakers' main players did show some surprising competitiveness. Typically, if a team's core player Jokic is not on the floor, one might expect the team to perform poorly, as the core players are often critical to the team's offensive and defensive systems.
However, in those two games, the Nuggets did not show a significant decline in the time that Jokic was not on the court, but only gave the Lakers a two-point advantage. This shows that the Nuggets' bench players are doing a good job on the defensive end, while perhaps finding some effective strategies on the offensive end to deal with the Lakers' defense.
In addition, this statistic also reflects the depth and diversity of the Nuggets' entire team. The Nuggets have players who can play in different positions, which allows them to maintain the intensity and competitiveness of the game even in the absence of core players.
As for the impact of Jokic's absence throughout the series on the Nuggets, this statistic shows that his absence is not an absolute disadvantage for the Nuggets. Of course, this does not mean that Jokic is not important to the Nuggets, on the contrary, he will undoubtedly bring huge help to the Nuggets when he is on the court.
Overall, these stats reveal the Nuggets' resilience and adaptability as a team, as well as the depth and diversity they have displayed in their games. This is a positive sign for the Nuggets, and it also makes people look forward to the next game even more.