Trailing by 13 with 6:30 to go, the Nuggets stunned the 68-win Thunder on its home court with a 121-119 win, two days after surviving a fierce seven-game series with the Clippers.<\/p>\n
![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/TDP-L-NUGGETS-THUNDERAO2_7188x.jpg\")
Aaron Gordon (32) of the Denver Nuggets celebrates hitting a game-winning jumper over Chet Holmgren (7) of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets\u2019 121-119 win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Monday, May 5, 2025. The Nuggets took a 1-0 Western Conference semifinal lead with their win. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n
As Gordon overheard one teammate sing his praises in the locker room afterward, he said to himself, \u201cAw, shucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everybody by now knows AG is a salt-of-the-earth person,’\u201d Peyton Watson told The Post. \u201cI never understand why he\u2019s never up for Teammate of the Year (in the NBA). I never understand it. He\u2019s one of the best teammates I\u2019ve ever had at any level of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n
The examples are endless. When Gordon became eligible for a contract extension last offseason, he had a 2025 player option worth $22.8 million looming on his active contract. He was due for a raise and incentivized to decline the option. Instead, he compromised by signing a deal that included an opt-in on his 2025-26 salary, league sources said, providing the hamstrung Nuggets with significant luxury tax relief for next season.<\/p>\n
While Gordon charmed and comforted Braun\u2019s family, he has also been mourning his own loss. His older brother, Drew, died in a car crash last May. Gordon started taking care of Drew\u2019s two sons, who accompanied him to the media room for his postgame interview Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cStick with it,\u201d he told his nephews at the podium. \u201cBe a demonstration of resiliency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gordon once had a basketball court built into his Denver warehouse home. Grief-stricken last offseason, he poured hours into improving his 3-point shot. He was 32.3% in his career and 29% last season. He wanted to get rid of the hitch in his form.<\/p>\n
He emerged from the warehouse with a career-best 43.6% season. The shot that completed Denver\u2019s miracle in Oklahoma wouldn\u2019t have been a reliable look for high-leverage moments a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked on my jumper a lot \u2014 a lot \u2014 throughout the years,\u201d he said. \u201cYou guys have seen the maturation of it. So it\u2019s nice to have it all culminate in a game-winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is so fluid right now with his shot,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cIt\u2019s very different. Over the years, it\u2019s slowly gotten better. There\u2019s less of a hitch. There\u2019s almost no hitch now. It\u2019s just a very fluid, up-and-down shot. His knees release when his elbow does. All the things they tell you when you\u2019re 10 years old at camp, it looks that way right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Adelman noted, Gordon\u2019s impact on the margins Monday won\u2019t be as canonized as his game-winning shot. He grabbed 14 rebounds. He threw himself on the floor to obtain a loose ball in the last two minutes, securing a stop for the rallying Nuggets. He held Jalen Williams, an All-Star this season, to a 5-for-19 shooting night that prevented the Thunder from pulling away. This was 48 hours after defending Kawhi Leonard exceptionally in a Game 7.<\/p>\n
In essence, Adelman meant the traces left on a game by Gordon that aren\u2019t directly attributed to him in a box score. The dirty work that he embraced when Denver acquired him from Orlando.<\/p>\n
![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/TDP-L-NUGGETS-THUNDERAO2_6569x.jpg\")
Aaron Gordon (32) of the Denver Nuggets grabs a loose ball seconds before Jamal Murray (27) calls a timeout to prevent a jump-ball situation from Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets\u2019 121-119 win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Monday, May 5, 2025. The Nuggets took a 1-0 Western Conference semifinal lead with their win. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seemed like they were always fighting for, \u2018Who\u2019s the man? Who\u2019s gonna be the man in Orlando?\u2019 Everybody wanted the ball,\u201d Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones told The Post. \u201cEverybody wanted to be the man. \u2026 He understands. A lot of people don\u2019t like to play the role that he plays, in terms of, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m just kind of getting out of the way and letting Joker and Jamal (Murray) do their thing.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones made a point of getting his hands on the game ball after Denver\u2019s unforgettable series-opening win. He dangled it in front of Gordon. \u201cI told him, I\u2019m not gonna give you this ball right now because it\u2019s just 1-0,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBut I\u2019ll make sure it gets back to Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n
That, too, was a sacrifice Gordon was willing to make.<\/p>\n