Michael Porter Jr. knows what it’s like to be in Peyton Watson’s position.

After missing the entirety of what should’ve been his rookie season, Porter came into his second professional year with plenty of potential, but the playing time wasn’t just handed to him with veterans Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant on the roster. He started eight of the 55 games he appeared in and averaged only 16.4 minutes per game back in the 2019-20 season.

Watson’s in a slightly different situation after spending much of his first season in the G League. Most of the meaningful minutes Watson played as a rookie came after the Nuggets had secured the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs late last regular season. Like Porter, Watson is a former one-and-done player who was one of the country’s top prep prospects. And his playing time hasn’t been consistent despite the obvious potential. Watson got benched for one of Denver’s first 17 games and averaged under 14 minutes per game heading into Sunday’s win against San Antonio. He was among the reserves who struggled in Friday’s loss in Houston, finishing with zero points, one rebound and one block to show for his six minutes of floor time. Porter knows what it will take for Watson to play more, as he did Sunday with more than 21 minutes of playing time.

“His whole thing is just trying to get the younger guys to earn their spots and realize that there are guys that could play in their position,” Porter said of Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “It’s like nothing is given. You’ve got to earn it.”

With Aaron Gordon joining Jamal Murray on the sidelines with a minor injury, Malone started veteran Justin Holiday against the Spurs. The Nuggets coach cited the trust Holiday has earned in his short time in Denver.

“He does all the right things. You never have to worry about if he’s going to be in the right place offensively or defensively. I think you can put him in with the starting lineup, the bench unit, (and) you just trust him out there. He’s like a seamless fit with whatever group he’s in,” Malone said of the veteran.

“Nothing sexy out there but just real trustworthy.”

Watson’s game has a little more spice than the veteran wing, and that was on display Sunday. Watson closed out to the corner and swatted Malaki Branham’s 3-point shot into the Spurs bench early in the second quarter. Early in the fourth, he had an emphatic rejection when Devin Vassell went for a reverse layup. He also added a steal in the second quarter, deflecting an entry pass that started Denver’s fast break and ended with Christian Braun getting to the free throw line. Afterward, Malone awarded Watson the team’s chain given to the player who had the best defensive performance. That moment also came with a message.

“I told him in front of the team. I said ‘You deserve this tonight, and my challenge to you is can you bring the same energy and effort every night? I’m not asking about you making 3s. Can you just play with that same energy and effort every night?’” Malone said. “Because, when he does that, he’s a difference maker. We saw it in glimpses last year at the end of the season when he played, and you’ve seen it a few times this year.”

The 21-year-old missed both of his 3-point attempts Sunday, but he hit a floater over Victor Wembanyama and later beat San Antonio’s stud rookie off the dribble with some help from a Braun screen and finished with a two-handed dunk. He ended the game with four points, four rebounds and two assists to go with his three combined steals and blocks. That performance came while he dealt with an illness. He was still feeling the effects Monday, listed as probable prior Denver’s late game against the Clippers when he again came off the bench. Watson ended Monday’s game against the Clippers with eight points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block in 24 minutes of playing time Monday night, as the shorthanded Nuggets defeated a full-strength Clippers squad, 113-104.

“I’m not saying he has not been playing hard, but you felt his impact tonight,” Malone said after Sunday’s game. “On the glass, blocking shots, there was a presence about him tonight, and when he has that, he is a difference maker. We need guys like that to come in and make a difference.”

Throughout his career, Porter has regularly seen his minutes dictated by effort, especially on the defensive end. The same approach appears to be in place for a guy like Watson, though the Nuggets are relying on a younger second unit these days.

“The young guys responded really good. Peyton played with energy tonight. Julian (Strawther) played with energy. At the end of the day, we need all those dudes,” Porter said. “We don’t have Jeff. We don’t have Bruce, so when it comes down to it, we’re going to need some of those dudes to step up. I thought that they played great, and it was good, probably, for their confidence as well.”

NUGGETS 113, CLIPPERS 104

What happened:  No Nikola Jokic, no Jamal Murray and no Aaron Gordon turned out to be no problem for Denver on Monday in Los Angeles.

The Nuggets went to Los Angeles without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who were dealing with minor injuries. Denver trailed by three after the first quarter. A 33-point second quarter helped the Nuggets take a 58-56 lead at halftime. The Nuggets scored only 19 points in the third and fell behind by 11 to start the fourth. Denver fought back to tie the game in the first 4 minutes of the fourth and went up by two a minute later. The Nuggets led by five with five minutes to go and increased the lead to nine in the final minute.

Denver improved to 4-6 on the road and 12-6 overall with Monday’s win.

What went right: Just when it looked like the Nuggets were going to let the game slip away, the visitors fought back with a 15-2 run to start the fourth. Reggie Jackson hit a timely 3 to start the quarter and did a good job of setting the table as the run continued. Jackson, still filling in for Murray, finished with 35 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and two steals in 40 minute.

What went wrong: There’s very little to complain about from the Nuggets’ effort. Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points for the Clippers, but he needed 26 shots to get there. The worst part  for the Nuggets was that Jokic, Murray and Gordon apparently stayed in Denver and were not in Los Angeles to celebrate their teammates’ clutch performance.

Highlight of the night: A couple of former Clippers pulled off the own version of lob city in the first quarter. Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan linked up for a couple of alley-oop dunks on consecutive possessions. The second was better than the first, as Jordan finished Jackson’s pass with a reverse dunk. The plays provided the Nuggets an early spark. Jordan returned the favor, finding Jackson on a cut for a dunk of his own in the second quarter. The two linked up for one more lob

Up next: The Nuggets return home Wednesday to play Houston before Denver hits the road again for a four-game road trip.