*This content was translated by AI.
It's a monstrous resilience. Nikola Jokic (30, Denver Nuggets), who was out of power due to a left knee injury, played a great role in his return match.
Denver defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 122-109 in the home game of the NBA's regular league in the 2025-2026 season at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on the 31st (Korea time).
The main player of the match was definitely Jokichi. Jokic, who missed 16 games after suffering an over-the-knee injury against the Miami Heat on the 29th of last month, dominated the court even though it was his first return match in about a month.
Even under time management, Jokic scored 31 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for 25 minutes, showing a triple double-class performance. His excellent shooting sense and sharp passes devastated the Clippers' bottom of the net.
Jokic's true value was shown in the fourth quarter, which was the winning point. Denver went 95-80 early in the fourth quarter on Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 3-pointer, but was chased to four points, allowing a 13-2 chase, including eight consecutive points to the Clippers' Kobe Sanders.
At the moment of crisis, Jokic stepped up as a troubleshooter. Denver, which took its breath with three free throws by Hardaway Jr., widened the gap again to 108-97 with 5:22 left in the game as Jokic drove in eight points alone. Jokic then assisted Peyton Watson with a great behind-the-scenes back pass, and even hit a three-point game that sealed the victory 3:22 before the end, sending home fans wild.
In addition to Jokichi, his colleagues' support shots shone. Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points and Watson 21 points, and Jamal Murray added 20 points and nine assists.
On the other hand, the Clippers worked hard with James Harden scoring 25 points and 9 assists and Kawhi Leonard scoring 21 points, but failed to prevent Jokic's return. The Clippers, who have recently won three consecutive games and have been on the rise, have lost for only the fourth time in their last 20 games.
Jokic's return is like a thousand horses for Denver. Denver did well with 10-6 in 16 games without Jokic, but recently Aaron Gordon was confirmed to be absent for more than a month due to a hamstring injury. With Christian Brown and Cam Johnson also out with injuries, Jokic's healthy return is more welcome than ever.
Jokic is cruising toward his fourth career MVP this season, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists. Although the number of absentees has increased due to injuries, if they play all the remaining regular league games, they will be able to play in a total of 66 games, which will meet the criteria for 65 games, which are various award qualifications.
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*This content was translated by AI.
