The Denver Nuggets have received valiant efforts from Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook during a challenging two-game set this past week. Playing slightly out of a familiar space and having to move to the center position, Gordon has been an absolute menace to the opposition in the paint.
First, with a convincing win in the Bay Area v. Golden State, Gordon complimented Russell Westbrook’s heroic triple-double with a 38-point effort of his own. They both rose to the challenge against a fully stacked Golden State team that featured Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, taking full control of the game on both ends of the court.
Gordon was drawing fouls, going 100% from the free-throw line, and tossing up a full 23 shots, dropping 14 of them, including five three-pointers. Despite their most recent loss against Luka Doncic and the Lakers, Gordon was sometimes unstoppable in that game as well. He was found constantly moving in and out of the key and challenging Doncic by making key shots in the most improbable spaces.
With Westbrook temporarily taking the bulk of the minutes at the point guard position at the moment, the non-verbal communication between these two former adversaries is growing stronger than ever.
“First off, Russ is not just a dog. He’s a wolf. He’s different. Offensively and defensively, he’s always on 10, always on 12.” – Aaron Gordon following the Nuggets win
Unfortunately, against the Lakers, who were without Lebron, the Nuggets mysteriously came out cold and were unable to recover from a large first-quarter deficit. Luka was scoring at will despite being pressed and defended hard by Gordon. The Nuggets were able to recover, but it was too little too late. Still, the tandem should be commended for taking charge of this Denver team when things could have easily gone the other way.
This short-handed Denver Nuggets team showed up strong through two very challenging games in California. Their All-World superstar center Nikola Jokic and fellow NBA Champion and starting lineup fixture at PG, Jamal Murray, were both sidelined for the West Coast swing.
The Nuggets face a schedule ahead of which they will want to take full advantage in order to seize an ideal position in the standings to begin the playoffs. Assuming they will be at full strength, a second-place finish could mean they will face the Memphis Grizzlies at home to begin the 2025 NBA playoffs.
This is a much more favorable matchup for the Nuggets than what the Lakers could potentially be. Ultimately, there will be no way of avoiding Lebron, Luka, Reaves, and company if they are to push for their second NBA championship title in three years. It will help the Nuggets tremendously if they can come in hot after a series win before meeting the Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals.
The Nuggets will need to make a firm statement, with or without Jokic, against the Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Bulls, respectively. These coming three games on the Nuggets’ schedule will offer a grand opportunity to leap into second place in the standings. They will not want to finish third or fourth.
The Nuggets are very fortunate to have Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook. Both players stepped up and brought their “A” game when the team could have very quickly found themselves in a vulnerable position. With Jokic still nursing a sore ankle and elbow and Murray having ankle issues of his own, the timing for Gordon and Russell to rise has been perfect. With Gordon, they have a 6’8” forward who is physical enough to step in and play center exceptionally well. With Westbrook, they have a proven point guard and former MVP who absolutely still has plenty left in the tank.
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