DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 12 rebounds in his first game in a month, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points and the Denver Nuggets knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers 122-109 on Friday night.<\/p>\n
Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, missed 16 games after injuring his left knee in the first half of a Dec. 29 loss at Miami. The Nuggets went 10-6 during that stretch, which also included extended absences from starters Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun.<\/p>\n
Jokic\u2019s 29th double-double of the season came despite being on a minutes restriction imposed by coach David Adelman. The 30-year-old Serbian was limited to 25 minutes, his second-fewest in a game this season.<\/p>\n
James Harden had 25 points and nine assists for Los Angeles. The Clippers had won 16 of their previous 19, the best win percentage in that NBA during that period.<\/p>\n
Jokic scored 11 points over a stretch of 3:47 in the fourth quarter that extended Denver\u2019s lead from five to 16. The Nuggets improved to 7-3 this season in the second game of a back-to-back.<\/p>\n
Jamal Murray had 22 points, and Peyton Watson added 21 for Denver. Murray, who made four of his five 3-pointers and had a team-high nine assists, scored at least 20 points in a game for the 35th time this season, matching a career high.<\/p>\n
Nuggets: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Clippers: At Phoenix on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
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