FARIED JUST RARING TO RETURN

Kenneth Faried inched his way through the locker room, his legs locked like he was walking on stilts. A grimace took over the face of the Nuggets forward, the searing pain evident with each step.

Faried’s lower back had locked up during a game against Brooklyn on Feb. 24, and he knew after the game he had a problem.

“It was some of the worst pain I ever felt,” said Faried, who returned to action Thursday night against the Clippers after a ninegame absence. “I’m just happy to be able to walk and jump and do the normal things like sit down normally. I’m glad to be able to do a light sprint or a jog and not have to worry about my back flaring up. I’m happy to be able to do those little things. You never know what can happen, and you take those for granted until something like that happens.”

Faried has dealt with back issues at different points throughout his six-year career, but the spasms this time around were more severe. He continued to play after he first felt his back acting up against Brooklyn. Once he finally came off the court and rested, his back locked up and any movement brought pain.

That made the recovery process slow and deliberate. Faried returned to the court in a limited fashion late last week and went through his first live practice with the team Wednesday. He was glad to discover there was little pain when he woke Thursday, though he wasn’t sure what to expect when he returned to the court.

“We’re going to see what happens,” he said. “I’m just excited to be on the floor again and be able to walk.”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he would monitor Faried’s minutes but he’s glad to have the forward back. The Nuggets have missed Faried’s presence on the boards. Denver led the NBA with 12.7 offensive rebounds per game before his injury. Since Faried went down the Nuggets have been 19th in the league at 9.3 per game.

Rare rest for Jordan. The Clippers rested big men DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin against the Nuggets, leaving both players in Los Angeles.

It was the first game Jordan has missed this season.

“I didn’t pose it as a question,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of resting the two players. “I thought Blake and ‘DJ’ handled it really well.”