The Denver Nuggets will play in their second straight Game 7 of the 2025 playoffs after defeating the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-107 on Thursday night.
A ferocious Nuggets defense held the Thunder to just 46 second-half points in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinals series and limited all Oklahoma City players not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to under 20 points. On offense, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led Denver again with 29 and 25 points, respectively.
It wasn’t all good news for head coach David Adelman’s team, however, as starting power forward Aaron Gordon suffered a left hamstring injury late in the fourth quarter.
Now, Denver must wait to see if the former No. 4 overall pick will be able to suit up for Game 7 on Sunday.
“David Adelman on Aaron Gordon’s hamstring: ‘At this point I have no idea … it’s really nice to have two days off … concern level would be high, obviously.’ (Because it’s AG),” Brendan Vogt of DNVR Nuggets reported. “Said he hasn’t talked to the staff yet.”
Gordon finished Thursday’s contest with only five points on 2-for-7 shooting (1-for-4 on three-pointers) but added seven rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes.
While the Jokic-Murray duo have broken longstanding playoff records this spring and garner most of the headlines, Gordon is an instrumental part of the Nuggets core as well.
This spring in his sixth postseason appearance, he’s posted playoff career-high averages of 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 38.2 minutes per game, while recording a .485/.382.851 shooting line. Gordon’s also been arguably the most clutch player on Denver’s roster, drilling the game-winning three-pointer in Game 1 against the Thunder and a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation in Game 3.
Gordon on Injury, Status For Game 7: ‘We’ll See’
The three-time Slam Dunk Contest participant addressed his injury and Game 7 status on Thursday night.
“I feel ok. We’ll see. I’m going to start the recovery process now and make sure I’m getting ready for Game 7,” Gordon said, per Vogt. “Gordon said it may have happened when he reached out for the kickball. ‘Yeah I just kind of reached out … not entirely sure what happened.’”
Gordon in ‘Good Spirits’ Postgame
Gordon’s injury will be a major storyline over the next 48-plus hours and for what it’s worth, Tony Jones of The Athletic reported postgame that the 29-year-old was staying positive despite the concern.
“Aaron Gordon was in good spirits in the locker room … he grabbed at his left hamstring when he bent over to pick up some scissors to cut his ankle tape. But he didn’t have a wrap, or any ice on his left leg,” Jones wrote on social media.
Another factor to ease Nuggets fans’ worries is that the team will have an extra day off before Sunday’s showdown. Prior to the upcoming two-day layoff, Denver had played every other day for over two weeks and nine games in the last 17 days.
Game 7 between the Nuggets and Thunder is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Paycom Center. The winner advances to the Western Conference Finals to play the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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