In the midst of a playoff glow up, Aaron Gordon’s still focused on being the glue that holds the Nuggets’ championship hopes together.

After stepping up in the clutch for a third time this postseason in Denver’s 113-104 overtime win over the Thunder Friday, Gordon wasn’t ready to zoom out and appreciate his individual successes that are a big reason why Denver enters Sunday’s Game 4 with a 2-1 advantage in the series.

“We’re in it right now, so I don’t feel like stepping outside of it and commenting on it, you know?” Gordon said in the postgame locker room. “I’m just helping my team win any way I can.”

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That meant knocking down a corner 3 that tied the game with 28 seconds left and putting the Thunder away with a fadeaway jumper late in overtime Friday. It could mean something completely different when the Nuggets look to take a 3-1 lead at Ball Arena.

“We know they’re going to come out with their heads on fire,” Gordon said.

The game-winners and clutch shots have thrust Gordon into the spotlight, but getting past the top-seeded Thunder is going to require more. With Luguentz Dort, the fourth-leading vote getter in the Defensive Player of the Year race, draped over Jamal Murray, Gordon has been among the Nuggets who have taken on added offensive responsibilities.

“We had to have more initiators. Jamal trying to bring it up against Dort for 40 minutes is not going to work. That’s where Aaron is really special,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said Saturday. “Christian handled pressure well, got us into stuff. Russ, obviously, did a really good job last night orchestrating for the second unit. If you have multiple people who can get you into something organized, that’s going to lead to shots to the rim.”

On the other end, Gordon is once again being tasked with keeping an All-Star talent in check. In the Clippers series, it was Kawhi Leonard. For most of the first three games against Oklahoma City, Gordon has been matched up with Jalen Williams, who had his best game of the series with 32 points on 21 shots Friday.

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“He’s really good. I actually thought some of the shots he made were really well-contested, effort plays. I thought we could shrink better, bring secondary bodies to him like we did with Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), but he’s an All-Star for a reason,” Adelman said.

“A couple of times we had coverage breakdowns, too, where the guy is just on a heater and we’re down the floor switching and he just walks into a 3. … That stuff can’t happen. Attention to detail always matters with players like that. On the flip side, he’s really good.”

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Then, there’s the dirty work that Gordon’s embraced as long as he’s been with the Nuggets. He grabbed 14 rebounds before hitting the game-winning 3 in Game 1. In Game 3, he grabbed eight more, dished out five assists and recorded a steal.

“The 50-50 ball that’s tipped out is going to win or lose these games, especially the way they crash. Fundamental basketball always comes back in a playoff series,” Adelman said. “The NBA is all stylish during the regular season, but all the stuff you learned young, it all comes back in these games when everybody is this even.”

The Nuggets might also need more clutch offense from Gordon, especially if Nikola Jokic’s uncharacteristic problems persist against the Thunder’s swarming defense. When Jokic and Jamal Murray have it going, Gordon’s offense becomes a bonus. Other nights it’s vital.

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“He’s just always ready. Obviously, he puts the work in to get there. I think it’s truly a testament to his whole life of manifesting it, being ready for it, thinking about it, dreaming about it,” Murray said. “When it’s time to go do it, you’ve kind of done everything to prepare for those kind of moments. AG is always ready for the moment.”

Gordon’s glow up as a clutch scorer helped the Nuggets take home-court advantage from Oklahoma City in Game 1 and protected the benefit in Game 3. Gordon anticipates Game 4 requiring the glue that he’s been knowing for providing since he joined the Nuggets in 2021.

“It feels really good,” Gordon said of the 2-1 lead. “But we’re in for a dog fight come Sunday.”