Back from a 16-game absence due to a hyperextended knee, Nikola Jokic took charge to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Clippers and snap LA’s three-game winning run.
Back like he never left.
Playing for the first time in over a month, Nikola Jokic made instant impact as the Denver Nuggets upended the Clippers 122-109, to end LA’s three-game winning streak on Saturday, January 31 (PH time).
Jokic finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in just 25 minutes in his first game back since missing the last 16 contests due to a hyperextended left knee.
Supporting the Nuggets’ effort, Tim Hardaway Jr. caught fire off the bench and scored 22 points as Peyton Watson added 21 markers and Jamal Murray contributed 20.
Trailing by 12 at the start of the fourth, the Clippers mounted a 13-5 spurt as Kawhi Leonard’s fallaway jumper cut the Nuggets’ lead at 97-93 with under eight minutes to play.
Denver, though, responded with a 16-4 run of their own, reestablishing control and stretching their lead to 113-97 en route to improving their record to 33-16.
James Harden led the Clippers with 25 points, while Kawhi Leonard added 21.
Despite the loss—the fourth in their last 20 games—LA climbed to ninth place in the Western Conference at 22-25, benefiting from the Portland TrailBlazers’ earlier defeat to the New York Knicks.
Denver gears up for a must-see playoff rematch with the defending champions OKC Thunder (38-110, while the Clippers travel to Phoenix to face the 29-19 Suns.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.