Denver staved off elimination with a Game 6 win over OKC, but a late injury to Aaron Gordon has cast a shadow over their chances in Game 7.
The Denver Nuggets were staring down elimination Thursday night as they hosted Game 6 of their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thanks to a strong performance, they held on with a 119-107 win — but it may have come at a serious cost.
With under two minutes left in the fourth, OKC’s Chet Holmgren stripped the ball from Denver’s Aaron Gordon. Gordon hustled to recover it, but Alex Caruso dove in to secure possession for the Thunder. Caruso tried to pass it off, only for Gordon to kick the ball. Right after, Gordon grabbed at his hamstring and looked to be in real pain.
He stuck around for another 35 seconds of game time before heading to the bench with 1:10 left. Though he briefly returned, he was subbed back out shortly after.
After the game, interim head coach David Adelman was asked how worried the team is about Gordon heading into Game 7 on Sunday.
“At this point I have no idea. It would be high, obviously,” Adelman admitted. “Aaron is one of our guys that we… he’s a reason we’ve won games and won series and have a banner hanging up in there.”
Adelman said it’s still too early to know how bad the injury is, but two full days off will help. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Gordon wasn’t seen wearing a wrap or ice on his hamstring when media entered the locker room.
“It’s really nice to have two days for all the guys to have treatment and all of those things. I haven’t gotten a clear answer. He’ll get checked out,” Adelman added. “But I mean this — having two days off — wow, this has been a marathon. The guys in there look happier that they have [Friday] off than that they’re going to a Game 7. It’s going to be really nice. It’s nice to have two days to get guys right going into a Sunday matinee. Concern for Aaron is so high. He’s played through a lot through this whole season, so we’ll see where he’s at.”
Gordon has been absolutely essential to Denver’s playoff run, especially with Michael Porter Jr. battling a shoulder issue. He came into Game 6 averaging nearly 18 points per game while anchoring Denver’s defense. Beyond the stats, Gordon has delivered three of the Nuggets’ biggest moments this postseason — a buzzer-beating putback dunk in Game 4 against the Clippers, the game-winning three in Game 1 vs. OKC, and a clutch, game-tying three in Game 3 that sent it to overtime.
If he’s limited or can’t go for Game 7, the Nuggets will have a major hole to fill. Julian Strawther stepped up with 15 points on Thursday, and Peyton Watson brings some defensive chops and off-ball movement, but Denver’s depth has been a concern all year. Losing Gordon would be a massive blow.
Now, all they can do is hope his hamstring tweak isn’t as serious as it looked.
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