Marc Gasol drops 12 points in return from injury

After missing 23 games, center Marc Gasol returned from a MCL sprain on Tuesday night to help the Memphis Grizzlies overcome the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87.

Gasol, wearing a brace on his left knee, had a decent return. He scored 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and one assist through 24 minutes. These numbers are all below his season averages, and he also had the lowest plus-minus (plus-4) of all the Grizzlies' starters.

But everyone was just happy to see Gasol back on the court, evidenced by this photo of the Grizzlies' bench following a deep two-ball from the big man.

Oh, and if you wondering how excited Gasol was to celebrate his return with a win over the third-best team in the Western Conference, this self-buttslap says it all.

[Courtesy: dailythunder.com]