Joe Johnson (illness) returned to practice Thursday, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN reports.

Johnson (illness) returned to practice Thursday and said he will play Friday against the Sixers, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post reports.

Analysis:

Johnson has missed the last four days, including two games, while battling a stomach virus that kept him bedridden. He'll return to the lineup Friday, which should push Alan Anderson back to a bench role. Johnson will likely assume his regular minutes load, but his effectiveness could be limited by the after-effects of what sounds like a fairly debilitating illness.