Nuggets' Nikola Jokic returns to lineup against Clippers in 1st game since knee injury on Dec. 29

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DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets finally have some beneficial news on the injury front — big man Nikola Jokic is back on the court.

Jokic returned to the starting lineup Friday night in a 122-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in his first game since suffering a knee injury Dec. 29.

Jokic had 31 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals in 25 minutes, his second-shortest appearance in a game this season. He made eight of his 11 shots, two of his three 3-pointers and 13 of his 17 free throws.

The three-time NBA MVP was on a minutes restriction, coach David Adelman said, as he eases his way back. Three early fouls limited Jokic to 10 minutes in the first half, but Adelman said his star big man would have played at most only three more minutes than he did Friday night even if he weren’t in foul trouble.

“I was not scared to use it,” Jokic said. “I was not thinking about it while I was running and while I was playing. I think that’s a good sign I’m ready.”

Jokic missed 16 games since limping off the floor just before halftime at Miami. He was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee.

Denver went 10-6 in his absence.

Jokic’s presence is a boost for a Nuggets team that just lost Aaron Gordon for at least a month after the high-flying forward reinjured his right hamstring. Christian Braun (left ankle) and Cameron Johnson (right knee) remain sidelined.

“It’s great to have (Jokic) back, but let’s temper a little bit,” 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 knee injury interrupted one of Jokic’s finest seasons. He’s averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists while shooting a career-best 43.5% from 3-point range.

“He’s just a constant in every category, every stat,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said after the game. “He was going at his own pace. He wanted me to keep playing my game and stay aggressive, but it’s a different feel when he’s out there.”

Jokic’s return Friday helps keep him eligible for major individual NBA awards this season. Should he play all the remaining games, he would finish with 66. He needs to appear in 65 of Denver’s 82 games to be eligible for most awards like MVP and All-NBA.

The 30-year-old Jokic has finished first or second in the MVP balloting in each of the last five seasons.

Jokic was hurt against the Heat when teammate Spencer Jones stepped on his left foot. The center from Serbia fell to the floor and grabbed at his knee before limping toward the locker room. He’s been steadily making progress, with Adelman saying Jokic “had a good day” Thursday and that his check-in today “was positive.”

“It was a new thing for me,” Jokic said of being unable to play for a month. “I was getting nervous because I didn’t know the steps. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, what I was supposed to feel. It was a different kind of nervous.”

Jokic’s return coincided with Serbian Heritage Night at Ball Arena in Denver, something he said “wasn’t planned.”

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