Denver superstar Nikola Jokic returned from a 16-game injury absence to post a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double on Friday and propel the Nuggets to a 122-109 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had not played since suffering a bone bruise in the left knee he hyperextended in a game against Miami on December 29.
The Serbian big man did not miss a beat. He led all scorers, connecting on eight of 11 shots from the field, and also handed out five assists with three steals while playing just 24:32 minutes as the Nuggets halted the Clippers’ winning streak at three.
“I feel good out there,” Jokic said in an on-court post-game interview. “I think I did a really good job with the recovery, really good to prepare myself.”
Jokic’s return was a welcome boost for a Nuggets team that just saw forward Aaron Gordon join Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson on the injured list.
Nuggets coach David Adelman was delighted to have Jokic at his disposal, even on a minutes restriction.
He tried to temper expectations for Jokic before the game, but Clippers coach Tyronn Lue admitted the presence of Jokic — who was averaging a triple-double with 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per game when he was hurt — “adds a different dimension to what you want to do defensively.”
James Harden scored 25 points and handed out nine assists for the Clippers, who had won 16 of their previous 19 games climb into 10th place in the West.
Elsewere, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic had a triple-double by halftime, sparking the Lakers to a 114-111 rout of the Wizards in Washington.
Doncic finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season.
He had racked up 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in less than 19 minutes on the floor when the Lakers took a 77-48 lead into halftime.
Like chess
“I just played my game, whatever the defense gives me,” said Doncic, who was backed by 28 points from Deandre Ayton and 20 from LeBron James as the Lakers connected on better than 61 percent of their shots from the field.
“It’s a little bit like chess, just trying to read the defense, share the ball,” Doncic said. “I think we did a great job today.”
In Boston, the absence of Celtics star Jaylen Brown with knee and hamstring injuries proved immaterial as the hosts pummeled the Sacramento Kings 112-93.
Payton Pritchard scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half and handed out eight assists for Boston, leading six Celtics players in double figures.
With the wire-to-wire win, the Celtics bounced back from a lopsided loss to Atlanta and kept pace with the New York Knicks in the battle for second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks, fueled by 26 points from Jalen Brunson, also led all the way as they pushed their winning streak to five games with a 127-97 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
In Phoenix, Dillon Brooks scored 27 points to lead the Suns to a 126-113 victory over Cleveland that halted the Cavs’ five-game winning streak.
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