Nikola Jokic returned to the Denver Nuggets' lineup on Friday night after being sidelined since Dec. 29 with a bone bruise in his hyperextended left knee and had 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 122-109 win over the LA Clippers.
Jokic, who had been officially listed as questionable going into the game, went 8 of 11 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and 13 for 17 from the line while he also had five assists.
Jokic is now set to play in Sunday's showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Denver and be eligible for season awards such as MVP and All-NBA.
"It's great to have [Jokic] back, but let's temper a little bit," coach David Adelman said before the game. "The guy's been hurt. He's been out. Having the best player, in my opinion, alive is a major, major thing to get back. I just want to make sure we temper the idea of what it could be like. He's got to get out there and feel comfortable again. We all know what it is when he is comfortable. It's something we've never seen."
The 6-foot-11 center got hurt in the first half of Denver's loss to the Miami Heat in December. Before that, he ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game. He also has 16 triple-doubles this season, which leads the NBA.
Jokic is also averaging career highs in assists (11.0) and 3-point percentage (43%).
The Nuggets went 10-6 in Jokic's absence over the past month-plus. Those 16 games are the most he has ever missed in any season of his career.
"It adds a different dimension to what you want to do defensively, for sure, because of his passing ability, his ability to score," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Jokic. "If you switch, he punishes smaller guys. If you're big, he takes them on the perimeter. Our hands are going to be full."
Jokic's 29th double-double of the season came despite being on a minutes restriction imposed by Adelman. The 30-year-old Serbian was limited to 25 minutes, his second-fewest in a game this season.
The Nuggets continue to miss several key rotation players Friday, including Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson, but welcomed back Jamal Murray (hamstring, hip) and Jonas Valanciunas (calf) for the game.
"We're moving in the right direction," Adelman said of Jokic. "Obviously, we're excited to have him back, as we will be with any of these guys that have been out for an extended period of time."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
