Counting sheep is for people who don’t have a basketball hoop in their home.
When Aaron Gordon decided to renovate an old warehouse into a living space in Denver, he included a half-court setup complete with an NBA 3-point line.
“At any time of the night, if I can’t sleep, I’ll go shoot. Even in the morning, I’ll shoot,” Gordon said in the postgame locker room after Denver’s 149-141 overtime win over Phoenix on Friday at Ball Arena.
“I have a court in my living room.”
Nikola Jokic makes NBA history with first-ever 30-20-20 game in Nuggets’ win over Suns
A lot of NBA players can afford to outfit their homes with whatever features they desire. Gordon’s includes a weight room and recovery equipment, while portraits of legendary athletes, musicians, actors, artists and politicians are plastered on the walls surrounding the court.
“He’s not your normal dude, man. Aaron operates on a different wavelength, but he’s true to himself, which I admire and respect so much. He’s a beautiful person, but he puts time in,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
“Whether it’s in our gym, his gym, Aaron puts a lot of time into his jump shot.”
Mark Kiszla: NBA has new book on how to beat Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. It’s title? Muck him up
The work has never been rewarded as heavily as it has been this season. Gordon enters Sunday’s game against the Thunder shooting 44% on 3s. His previous high was 34.9% back in the 2018-19 season when he was still a member of the Orlando Magic. He credited the increase this season to “willingness and readiness.” He said he didn’t know and didn’t care whether or not opposing teams have started showing him more respect as a shooter this season.
Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.
Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
“Who cares?” Gordon said. “Whether they do, whether they don’t, if I get a good look, I’m going to fire it.”
It didn’t take long for Gordon to announce his return to the Nuggets’ rotation Friday at Ball Arena. After missing Denver’s last three games with a sprained left ankle, Gordon made four 3-pointers in the first 6 minutes before he missed his first shot.
“That’s something he works on. That’s something we trust him doing. He’s been shooting really well all year. It’s not a surprise,” Christian Braun said.
“He’s had an up-and-down year as far as health goes. As far as his 3-point shot goes, I think he’s been over 40% all year. That’s not something that’s surprising to us. If teams are going to leave him open, we trust him every single time. Whether he dribbles into it or he catches and shoots it, it feels like he’s been automatic all year.”
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone use few words to urge for better whistle
Gordon hit his fifth 3 in the second quarter and matched his career-high by hitting his sixth and seventh 3s in the third quarter. Gordon missed his first attempt to set a new career high but ended the night 7 of 10 from deep. The last time Gordon hit seven 3s in a game also came in a Magic uniform on March 19, 2021. Gordon finished with 27 points on 15 shots and grabbed three rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time.
“It was fun to watch, and I was happy for him. This has been such a challenging year in terms of in the lineup, out of the lineup, back in, back out,” Malone said. “For him to go out there and have a night like he had tonight, you just feel a lot of joy for him.”
With the Nuggets heading to Oklahoma City for a couple of big games on Sunday and Monday, the Nuggets could use Gordon getting a good night sleep as his body continues to get closer to 100% after battling calf and ankle injuries throughout the best 3-point-shooting season of his career.
“A little beat up,” Gordon admitted. “But, hopefully, I can bounce back for this next game.”