Doncic Triple-Double & Jokic Return | NBA Highlights

Jokic, as if nothing had happened

Successful return for Denver superstar Nikola Jokic after 16 games out with a left knee injury. His double-double, with 31 points and 12 rebounds, propelled the Nuggets to a home victory against the Los Angeles Clippers (122-109). Absent since December 29, the triple MVP showed no signs of rust for his reunion with his audience. In just 24 minutes of play, he showed great shooting efficiency, and added five assists and three interceptions to his stats sheet.

“I feel good on the pitch“, Jokic said. “I think I managed my recovery very well, I prepared really wellOpposite, James Harden scored 25 points and made nine assists for the Clippers, who had won 16 of their last 19 games to climb to 10th place in the Western Conference, after a catastrophic start to the season.

Nuggets coach David Adelman was delighted to be able to count on Jokic, even with limited playing time in the recovery phase, especially since Aaron Gordon joined Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson on the injured list of the 3rd in the West. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged that the presence of the Serb, who was averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists before his injury, “adds a different dimension to what we want to do defensively” in the face of the formidable offensive threat from the 30-year-old pivot.

Doncic expeditious

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic achieved a triple-double at halftime, allowing his team to win in Washington against the Wizards, penultimate in the East (142-111). Doncic finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, recording his sixth triple-double of the season. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in less than 19 minutes when the Lakers, fifth in the West, took a 77-48 lead halfway through the game.

“I just played my game, depending on what the defense gave me“, underlined the Slovenian leader, well supported by 28 points from Deandre Ayton and 20 from LeBron James. “It’s a bit like chess, you just have to try to read the defense, share the ball“, indicated Doncic. “I think we did a good job today.” Frenchman Alexandre Sarr, No. 2 in the 2024 draft, finished with 16 units in 28 minutes but the Wizards pivot was too clumsy at three points.

Detroit maintains its lead over New York and Boston

Cade Cunningham shone with 29 points and 11 assists to lead the Pistons to a precious away victory (131-124) against the Warriors, who pushed hard at the end of the match. For his part, Stephen Curry, the star of Golden State, eighth in the West, who is still aiming for direct qualification in the play-offs, scored 23 points before leaving the floor due to knee discomfort.

Comfortable leader in the East, the team led by JB Bickerstaff saw its two pursuers win at the same time. In Boston, the absence of Celtics captain Jaylen Brown, injured in his knee and hamstring, had no impact, since the hosts crushed the Sacramento Kings (112-93). Payton Pritchard scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half and dished out eight assists for the Celtics, with six players scoring more than ten points.

Joe Mazzulla’s players bounced back from their defeat at home against Atlanta and are keeping pace with New York in the fight for second place in the Eastern Conference, with the same record (30v-18d). The Knicks, driven by Jalen Brunson’s 26 points, also led throughout the match and extended their winning streak to five games with a home success against the Portland Trail Blazers (127-97).