Atlanta, GA -- (Sports Network) - Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had missed the previous 12 games due to a high left ankle sprain, returned to action by starting Wednesday's 105-95 win against Memphis.

Smith played just 11 minutes before hurting his ankle in a November 7 win over the Toronto Raptors. He had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in Wednesday's game, moving his average to 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds over five contests this season.

Smith has 797 blocks for his career and is poised to become the youngest to reach 800 in a career. Smith turns 23 on December 5. Shaquille O'Neal had 800 blocks when he set the mark at 24 years and 9 days old on March 15, 1996 in a game against Vancouver.