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 against the Los Angeles Clippers in his first game since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 29. The three-time NBA MVP will be on a minutes restriction, coach David Adelman said, as he eases his way back.
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.
“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 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.”
“We’re moving in the right direction,” the Nuggets coach said. "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.”
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