Nikola Jokic returned from his knee injury on Friday and led the Nuggets to victory over the Clippers, while Jordi Fernandez’s Brooklyn Nets won away to the Utah Jazz.
Jokic had missed 16 games since suffering the injury on December 29 in Miami. Without the Serbian, a three-time NBA MVP, the Nuggets have gone 10-6, staying in the top positions in the Western Conference.
On his return, Jokic recorded a double-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists as his Nuggets won 122-109 against the Clippers, who arrived in Denver in great form. James Harden was the best of the Los Angeles team with 25 points and 9 assists.
The Nuggets (33-16) are third in the West, while the Clippers (22-25) are in 10th place, the last postseason spot.
Nets get back to winning ways
Russian Egor Demin hit a three-pointer for the 34th consecutive game, a new record for a rookie in the NBA. In fact, the Muscovite finished 6 of 12 from three-point range and led with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Nets’ 99-109 win in Utah.
The Nets (13-36) had won just two of their last 17 games and arrived in Salt Lake City on a seven-game losing streak.
Michael Porter Jr. was absent for personal reasons less than a week before the close of the trade window on February 5. Porter Jr. has been the team’s best player, averaging 25.6 points per game.
Also on Friday, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 114-106, the Boston Celtics beat the Sacramento Kings 112-93 and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-113.
In Orlando, the Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors 130-120, while the New York Knicks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 127-97.
Finally, the Detroit Pistons stormed the Chase Center in San Francisco with a 124-131 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Stephen Curry left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury, when the Warriors were 14 points down. Without Curry, Steve Kerr’s men came close to rallying against Detroit, the Eastern Conference leaders with a 35-12 record.
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