After more than a month away from the court, Nikola Jokic is backand he did it the way he knows best: by dominating. The Serbian center led the Denver Nuggets to a 122-109 win over the LA Clippersfinishing the night with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assistsdespite being on a minutes restriction.
The numbers tell the story of a surgical performance: 8-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, 13-of-17 at the free-throw lineall in just 25 minutes – the second-lowest minute total of his season. A cautious approach from the coaching staff, but one that didn’t stop Jokic from recording his 29th triple-double of the season.
Even more significant, though, was the mental aspect.
Adelman tempers expectations, but the message is clear
The return of the three-time MVP has obviously changed the face of the Nuggets, but head coach David Adelman chose a measured tone.
A difficult month, even off the court
For Jokic, the injury wasn’t challenging only from a physical standpoint.
For Jokic, it almost felt like just another night. For those watching, far from it. Returning after a month and dominating without ever looking like he was truly pushing says everything about the kind of player he is – and about how much Denver changes when he’s on the floor.
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