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.

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.

Jokic’s 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.

James Harden had 25 points and nine assists for Los Angeles. The Clippers had won 16 of their previous 19, the best winning percentage in the NBA during that period.

Jokic scored 11 points over a stretch of 3:47 in the fourth quarter that extended Denver’s lead from five to 16. The Nuggets improved to 7-3 this season in the second game of a back-to-back.

ONLY player to record 30/10/5 in 25 or fewer minutes

BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD pic.twitter.com/fpxZhd7R0K

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 31, 2026

Doncic starts fast as Lakers roll

Luka Doncic had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 37 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 142-111 rout of the Washington Wizards.

Doncic had 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the first two quarters. His 10th rebound came in the waning seconds of the second.

The last time a player had a triple-double in the first half was when Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks did it on Dec. 5. Johnson had 11 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the half.

LeBron James scored 20 points for the Lakers, looking spry at age 41 when he threw down an alley-oop in the first half with only his left hand.

Fans were chanting for James' son, Bronny, to come into the game before the midpoint of the third quarter. That finally happened with 5:29 left in the fourth, and even the younger James broke free for a one-handed dunk on a breakaway.

Deandre Ayton had 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 13 rebounds.

Luka gonna Luka pic.twitter.com/9ucSuCjZCp

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2026

Brooks helps Suns cool Cavs

Dillon Brooks scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat Cleveland 126-113 to sweep a back-to-back and end the Cavaliers' winning streak at a season-best five games.

On Thursday night against Detroit, the Suns gave out “Dillon the Villain” T-shirts before Brooks scored a career-high 40 points in a 114-96 victory. Phoenix has won three in a row with scoring leader Devin Booker sidelined by a sprained ankle.

Brooks was 9 of 14 from the field, 2 of 4 on 3-pointers and 7 of 8 from the foul line. The Suns were 23 of 48 from 3-point range.

De’Andre Hunter led Cleveland with 17 points. Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson each had 16, with Mitchell committing eight turnovers.

FLAMETHROWER TRIO

Royce, Collin, and Goodie shot a combined 59% from beyond the arc tonight! pic.twitter.com/X0xvlaOval

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 31, 2026