On Friday night, the Denver Nuggets hosted the Brooklyn Nets with their star man Nikola Jokic back in action. Jokic had previously missed two straight games due to illness and was listed as questionable ahead of their matchup against the Nets.

Despite this, not only did he manage to play the game, he also made his presence felt. Going into the matchup, Jokic was averaging 31.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 47.7 percent from the 3-point range in 31 games.

In his first game back from illness, Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double. Jokic wasted no time making an impact, as he scored 14 points in the first quarter. However, the Nets managed to outscore the Nuggets 36-32.

Jokic finished the game with 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds. While he certainly made it look easy on the court, Jokic was feeling the effects of the illness upon the start of the game.

During a post-game media appearance, Jokic hilariously described his return and stated, “Felt a little bit more tired. Second half was much better than the first half, first half I almost died.” Take a look at his comments below:

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Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook led the charge against the Nets

While Nikola Jokic took all the headlines, the contribution of Russell Westbrook cannot be understated. Westbrook, who started at shooting guard, recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Jokic and Westbrook led the charge for the Nuggets, especially after Jamal Murray went down with an injury. It is worth noting that other players also stepped up. Michael Porter Jr. scored with 17 points and six rebounds, while Christian Braun chipped in with 11 points. Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, from the bench.

For the Brooklyn Nets, Keon Johnson was the top scorer with 22 points. Tyrese Martin came off the bench to contribute 19, Noah Clowney recorded 14 points, and Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons, and Tosan Evbuomwan each scored 10 points.