LOS ANGELES – The LA Clippers won their fourth game in a row on Sunday night, defeating the Charlotte Hornets, 120-106. While Paul George and the guys were excited to walk out with the win, they were also excited to get a big piece of their rotation in Serge Ibaka back.

Ibaka made his season debut after missing the last five months due to back surgery. He only played just eight minutes, accumulating one rebound, one assist, one block, and five personal fouls.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue played Serge Ibaka in three different bursts throughout the night, allowing him to build up without overexerting himself. After the game, Ibaka said he felt great.

“I’m good conditioning-wise, health-wise thank god,” Ibaka said. “I’m grateful to be back. First game in a while, but the most important thing is I’m healthy. I’m good.”

While he was ecstatic to be back, he was also honest.

“It was rough, but it’s normal. It’s normal. It was rough, but I just want to thank coach for putting me back in again, so now I’m gonna go in the gym now to lift, to get ready for the next game, so move on and get focus on the next game.”

Ibaka's return means more decision-making for Tyronn Lue with regards to Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein. Zubac appears to have turned a corner, recording back-to-back double-doubles as the Clippers came back from double-digit deficits to win. The Clippers' starting big man finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocked shots.

Hartenstein has looked good for LA all year, especially when the Clippers needed production from their center position. He finished with nine points, three rebounds, and a steal, playing his usual effective role alongside Terance Mann and Luke Kennard.

Still, Ibaka brings the skill and intangibles to a team that has desperately been in need of them.

“He’s one of the better shot blockers and rim protectors in the league so it's just already adding to a great defense that we have right now,” Paul George said of Ibaka's return/ “He’s a legit defensive anchor. He adds to that and he gives us a little versatility because he can switch and guard guards as well as he can stretch the floor. It’s just good to have another rim protector opposite of Zu and Isaiah that can stretch the floor for us.”

Now that Ibaka is back, the Clippers are going to be extra cautious as the regular season continues and the playoffs near.

“A guy like me who loves to play, I work so hard,” Ibaka said on facing a minute's restriction for the foreseeable future. “Sometimes it can be hard, but right now I have no choice. I need to patient. I have to. After a long time, I have to. Even like I have to tell myself to be patient because I already had been putting a lot of time, a lot of work all summer. Now I’m back, the most important thing is I’m back, so I’m just gonna be a little patient and I’m gonna get there.”

Paul George and the Clippers will face the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. It'll be the third time both teams face-off, with the fourth matchup scheduled for the early parts of December. Serge Ibaka will look to continue his slow return from surgery as the year goes on.