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Nuggets Notes: Valanciunas, Jordan, Jokic, Murray

October 30th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have been pleased with the play of backup big man Jonas Valanciunas early on this season, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. During the second quarter of Wednesday’s win over New Orleans, head coach David Adelman was able to rest Nikola Jokic for nearly eight-and-a-half minutes, with Denver extending its lead during that stretch.

“To have different guys and have different energy, I like that,” said Jokic. “(Valanciunas) is definitely a threat down (low). The guy can score, and he’s big and dominant down there. He’s getting people to collapse on him, and he’s a really good passer. So, it’s definitely an advantage for us.”

Valanciunas had a productive night, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes. Jokic wasn’t the only key Nugget to compliment the Lithuanian big man.

“‘Big Val’ is nice, you know?” Aaron Gordon said, per Saunders. “He’s certified. He’s just really, really, really, really good. So there’s not a huge drop-off. He’s just smart. Knows his game. Knows his spots. He’s bigger than every other matchup he has on him. And he settles down that second unit. When things get stymied or we can’t find a bucket, you can play through Big Val, just like how we play through ‘Joker.’”

We have more on the Nuggets:

Just five days after signing a guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans, veteran center DeAndre Jordan faced off against his former team on Wednesday, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. Jordan, 37, spent the past three seasons with the Nuggets, including winning a championship as a role player in 2023. “Definitely some emotions for sure,” Jordan said before Wednesday’s game. “Spent three years here. It was great. My teammates, coaches, everything. The fans were amazing. So it’s definitely some (emotions) running through (me) right now, coming here and seeing the locker room and the banner again. … I owe a lot to Denver.” Adelman praised Jordan’s locker-room presence, Durando adds. “Such a big part of what we were in that locker room, his personality, not just for the players but for the staff,” Adelman said after joking that Jordan’s three years in Denver felt like 30. “All-time vet. … I’m glad he’s back in the league.”
Jokic tied an NBA record on Wednesday by notching his fourth consecutive triple-double to open the season, notes Durando of The Denver Post. The three-time MVP center recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory against the Pelicans.
Star guard Jamal Murray is off to a great start in 2025/26 but he may miss his first game of the season on Friday. He’s listed as questionable for the matchup vs. Portland due to left calf tightness, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter). Forward Cameron Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) is probable to suit up.

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Adelman, Holmes, Malone

October 24th, 2025 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets became the last of the NBA’s 30 teams to play their regular season opener on Thursday, falling to the Warriors in a 137-131 overtime thriller. It was a huge night for veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who established new career highs by pouring in 50 points and making 10 three-pointers. However, he was disappointed not to come away with a victory in Golden State.

“They’re asking if I wanted the game ball, and no, I don’t want the game ball,” Gordon said, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “Take an L home with me? No thank you. So this sucks, but it’s one game, our first game. It’s a good team, it’s a really good team … we’re going to reconvene, watch the film and try to play better in our home opener.”

Nuggets head coach David Adelman said after the game that he felt “awful” for Gordon after his career performance was spoiled by some crunch-time heroics from Stephen Curry, who tied the game with a long-distance three-pointer in regulation, then scored a team-high seven overtime points to seal it. Still, Adelman was very pleased by what he saw from Gordon, who is typically a third or fourth offensive option for Denver.

“I thought he did it in a really efficient, smart way,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “He wasn’t forcing any … AG’s a special player. He has been for us for a long time.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

In an in-depth conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Adelman spoke about last season’s second-round playoff loss to Oklahoma City, why he believes Jonas Valanciunas is such an important addition to the roster, and the challenge of putting his own stamp on the team while also honoring a culture and foundation he helped establish as a longtime Nuggets assistant. “Yeah, it’d be stupid not to maintain some things that have been constants, that won us playoff games,” Adelman said. “But it would also be stupid not to realize the league educates itself and people have guarded us differently in the last two years. So doing the same thing over and over is not going to lead to anything successful in June. We have to tweak things.”
The Nuggets intend to send 2024 first-round pick DaRon Holmes to the G League throughout this season for developmental purposes, tweets Durando. Holmes missed his entire rookie year due to a torn Achilles and the team doesn’t want to rush him, Durando explains.
Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was let go by the team near the end of last season, has shifted to a broadcast role this season. However, the 54-year-old said during an Inside The NBA appearance on Thursday that he doesn’t believe his coaching career is over (Twitter video link). “I’m definitely not done coaching,” Malone said. “Coaching is in my blood. I got that from my father. I’m excited to get back coaching on those sidelines and teaching once again.”

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Caruso, Jazz, Nuggets, Johnson

October 23rd, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The sale of the Trail Blazers to Tom Dundon will take place in multiple stages over the next few years, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.

After Dundon officially signed a purchase agreement last month, the expectation is that the sale will close in March and he’ll become the team’s majority owner at that time. According to Schiffer, a second transaction will occur at a later date, with Dundon buying the remaining shares in the team from the Allen estate at that time.

A source who spoke to Front Office Sports compared the deal to the Celtics’ sale, in which William Chisholm took over a controlling interest in the franchise earlier this year but isn’t expected to buy the remaining stake until 2028. This structure had been anticipated for the Blazers’ sale, with reporting on the initial tentative agreement suggesting that the $4.25 billion valuation of the franchise was a “blended” figure based on two separate projected payments.

Dundon and Sheel Tyle, who will be a minority stakeholder in the new ownership group, attended the team’s regular season opener in Portland on Wednesday, notes Jason Quick of The Athletic. The schedule began with a loss to the division-rival Timberwolves, though the team suffered a greater loss on Thursday, when head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested and placed on leave after being accused of helping to rig illegal poker games backed by the mafia.

We have more from around the Northwest:

Thunder guard Alex Caruso entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after Tuesday’s win over Houston and will have to go through the return-to-participation protocol and show he’s symptom-free before he’s cleared to return, per the team (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). Caruso will be inactive for Thursday’s NBA Finals rematch in Indiana.
Coming into the season, no team was projected to have a lower win total than the Jazz, so it came as a surprise when they ran out to a 37-point lead in a blowout win over the Clippers in Wednesday’s season opener. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune shares his takeaways from a memorable start to the season, noting that 2024 first-round pick Cody Williams is out of the rotation but Utah still showed how its youth can be an asset rather than a liability. “We need to reframe that in our brains,” head coach Will Hardy said after his team beat the much older Clippers. “If we’re a little short on experience, we can still be high on energy.”
In an interesting feature story for The Denver Post, Bennett Durando details how the connection between executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace and star guard Jamal Murray is emblematic of the reinvigorated Nuggets, who feel “more like a team,” in the words of Aaron Gordon, following the organizational upheaval which saw Denver part with its head coach and GM with just three games remaining in the 2024/25 regular season. Wallace, whom Durando describes as the Nuggets’ new co-general manager alongside executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer, has long had a close relationship with Murray and challenged him to be a more consistent leader this summer. “It’s like, ‘All right, how do you turn up the mental level? What’s the small percentage that makes you a little bit better, that helps you kind of reinvent yourself or unlock another level of your attack?’” Wallace told The Post. “… That was the whole thing behind this summer. ‘I want you to be vocal, because when you’re vocal, you’re engaged, and when you’re engaged, your teammates look to you, and they revere you, and they respect you.’“
Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson learned resilience from his father and by extension his late grandmother. It’s a quality he believes will help him as he works to get comfortable both on and off the court in Denver, Quick writes for The Athletic. Johnson’s new teammates and head coach have nothing but good things to say about him, and are confident the 29-year-old will eventually find his groove in the team’s read-and-react offense. “There is a fine balance between him just fitting in, which he is trying to do right now, and then him also just being himself, and knowing that the guys will be OK with that,” said coach David Adelman. “You know, it’s that way with Aaron and Jamal. They’ll play our way — cut, move and screen — but they will also get into their bag and go one-on-one, and that’s OK because they’re really talented players. I think Cam will get there once he has more experience with these guys.”

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Core Trios, MVP, Hayward, NBA App

October 15th, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Rory Maher

Tim Bontemps of ESPN ranks the core trios of every NBA team based on their current and future value. Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren of the defending champion Thunder sit atop Bontemps’ tiered list, followed by the Nuggets trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.

Bontemps’ final tier (“rebuilding”) is comprised of the Nets (Nic Claxton, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore), Trail Blazers (Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe), Jazz (Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton, Lauri Markkanen), and Wizards (Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Using six categories (narrative score, expected ridiculous stats score, team quality score, clutch score, player impact score, and perceived value score), Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a stab at predicting who will win the NBA’s MVP award in 2025/26. Jokic, who was the runner-up last season, earns the most points (55/60), followed by reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander (50/60) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (50/60), who finished third in voting last season. However, Harper’s “gut” says Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (45/60) will claim his first MVP.
Former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, who retired last summer after a 14-year career in the league, is returning to his alma mater in a new role. According to a Butler press release written by John Dedman, Hayward will be an executive basketball advisor for the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball program. In addition to advising in multiple areas, Hayward will also serve as a mentor to student-athletes, with a focus on leadership and professional development.
The NBA announced in a press release that it has launched a new multi-platform streaming offering as well as the “reimagined” NBA TV, both of which can be accessed via the NBA App. There’s also a new flagship program on NBA TV and the NBA App called “The Association,” which features MJ Acosta-Ruiz, David Fizdale, Rudy Gay, Chris Haynes and John Wall, among others.

Aaron Gordon Thrilled About Nuggets’ Offseason Moves

September 17th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets‘ new front office made several significant additions this summer in an effort to rebuild a championship-level roster. Among those impressed by the moves is power forward Aaron Gordon, who shared his excitement in an interview this week with Malika Andrews on NBA Today (hat tip to The Sports Rush).

Denver sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn in a trade for Cameron Johnson, and acquired backup center Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento in a separate deal. The team also added shooting by signing free agent swingman Tim Hardaway Jr.

“That’s a squad, especially with Big Val too,” Gordon said. “Big Val is gonna hold that down. That’s a boy. We got a squad.”

The move that Gordon is most excited about is the return of versatile swingman Bruce Brown, who was also added in free agency. Brown was an important member of the 2023 title team and was used at several positions.

“Brucey B is back. Uh-oh. Might be problems for y’all, Brucey B is back,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday, is coming off a typically productive season that saw him average 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 51 games. He has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that limited his effectiveness in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference semifinals loss to Oklahoma City.

Gordon, who has developed an on-court chemistry with Nikola Jokic since being traded to Denver in 2021, also talked about the privilege of playing alongside the perennial MVP candidate every night.

“He’s amazing … to get to play around one of the best players, if not the best player of all-time,” Gordon said. “It’s the gravity that Joker has. I think we have a great understanding of each other on and off the basketball floor. You guys are gonna see that flourish.”

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Finch, Thunder, Wolves

May 20th, 2025 at 10:02am CST by Eli Cohen

There’s a chance that Game 7’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the last game together for the Nuggets‘ core four of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr., writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. The quartet, which has played together since the Gordon was acquired via trade in 2022, is looking at a financial reality that might prove too onerous for ownership to bear, especially with the team unable to get past the second round since winning the title in 2023.

Asked after Game 7 whether the Nuggets could win a championship as currently constructed, Jokic said, “If we could, we will win it. So I don’t believe in the ‘if, if’ stuff. We had opportunity. We didn’t win it. So I think we can’t.”

The loss comes after the abrupt termination of general manager Calvin Booth and longtime head coach Michael Malone, both of whom were crucial architects of the championship identity, just weeks before the playoffs began. Interim head coach David Adelman ended up coaching nearly as many Game 7s as he did regular season games.

Murray and Gordon both have extensions about to kick in. Murray’s four-year deal is worth nearly $208MM, while Gordon’s is a three-year $109MM extension after he exercised his $22.84MM player option in the 2025/26 season.

While both are trade-eligible, they have been crucial pieces of the Nuggets’ success, with Murray providing scoring and play-making while Gordon has consistently been a big-shot maker and elite defender who has displayed a seamless connection with Jokic as a cutter and screener. That may leave Porter as the best chance the team has to address some of its roster holes while it still can, especially with Christian Braun‘s extension eligibility looming.

We have more from around the Northwest:

Whatever decisions the Nuggets are forced to make due to finances and a lack of repeated Finals runs will be made more difficult by the bonds that have developed over the years. One such relationship is between Porter and Gordon, who have become close friends and support pillars for each other, Marc J. Spears writes for Andscape. Gordon played this season after losing his older brother, Drew, and Porter was someone he could lean on in times of hardship. Gordon and Porter both fought through injuries that limited them in their series against the Thunder, to the point that Porter wondered if he made things worse by being out there. “I probably should’ve just let it heal for a few games and then try to come back,” he said. “That is just not the person I am.”
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch‘s journey to back-to-back conference finals appearances began with a rejection from a Pennsylvania high school coaching gig, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. At the time, he was coaching basketball in England and desperate for a way home. That journey led him to the Rockets’ G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, which eventually led him to Minnesota, where, for the second time in three seasons, Finch had to figure out how to construct an identity around a team with a new All-Star. The results were tumultuous to start the season, with the team booed for a lackluster start amid discourse about whether newly-acquired star Julius Randle should be benched for Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, but Finch eventually found the right buttons to push for to his new-look team. “The validation I feel is for what we’re doing overall as a program,” he said.
Randle and Gobert struggled to find their footing early on together, but in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, the Timberwolves veterans showcased why they are such dangerous players and silenced criticism about their playoff histories, writes Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. “You’ve gotten a lot of disrespect your whole career,” Gobert said to Randle. “And so have I.” Finch, who was an assistant coach in New Orleans for Randle’s breakout year, says that finding the balance of Randle’s responsibilities was key to unlocking the team: “We, at different times of the season, gave him the message, ‘Hey we need you to score more. Hey, we need you to pass more.’ And sometimes it was the wrong message… So that was a lot of our early season growth with him.“
The Thunder have some fascinating lineup choices to consider as they enter Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Wolves, says SI’s Rylan Stiles. After having gotten past Jokic, the team is likely to be less reliant on the two-big lineups featuring Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein against the athletic Randle and a more traditional center in Rudy Gobert. That, in turn, would allow the Thunder to bring more of their defensive-minded guards or wings into the lineup to try their hand at slowing down Anthony Edwards.

Nuggets Notes: Depth, Porter, Tenzer, Gordon, Westbrook

May 19th, 2025 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

Through two rounds of the NBA playoffs, Nuggets starters Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon ranked one through four in the NBA in total minutes played. To some extent, that was a byproduct of Denver being the only team to play two seven-game series, but those four Nuggets all averaged between 37.3 and 41.3 minutes per game during the postseason, reflecting the team’s lack of reliable depth.

“We definitely need to figure out a way to get more depth,” Jokic said the Nuggets’ Game 7 loss on Sunday, per Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic. “It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, the longer benches, are the ones winning. You look at Indiana and OKC and Minnesota, and they have been great examples of that.”

Adding depth won’t be the easy for the Nuggets, who are hamstrung to some extent by maximum-salary contracts for Jokic, Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. Denver projects to operate in tax apron territory next season, lacks appealing trade chips, and is the only team that doesn’t have a pick in this year’s draft.

As Jones and Amick observe, it would be logical for the Nuggets to explore trading Porter, who is the most expendable of the team’s highest-paid players. Troy Renck of The Denver Post comes to the same conclusion, lauding Porter for gutting it out through a shoulder injury in the postseason but arguing that his inconsistency has become a liability for the club.

An April report indicated that Nuggets ownership has a particular fondness for Porter because he played his college ball at Missouri, the same school Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke attended. However, the prospect of trading Porter at this year’s deadline was “very much in play,” according to Jones and Amick, who note that the Nuggets gave real consideration to including him in a package for Zach LaVine earlier in the season.

We have more on the Nuggets:

It remains unclear who will be making the roster decisions in Denver this offseason, since the team fired general manager Calvin Booth near the end of the regular season. League sources tell Jones and Amick of The Athletic that the Nuggets haven’t moved forward with a search for a new general manager yet and there’s an expectation that interim GM Ben Tenzer has a chance to earn the position on a permanent basis, as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer previously reported.
After playing through a hamstring strain in Game 7, Gordon told reporters, including Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, that he “knew the risks” of taking the court and acknowledged that he “couldn’t sprint,” but said he was determined to give the team all he had. “There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to play,” he said. “The only thing that made me doubt playing was the MRI. The MRI told me something worse than what I was feeling.” Interim head coach David Adelman referred to Gordon’s effort as “one of the more incredible things I’ve ever seen,” tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was noncommittal when asked what he plans to do with his 2025/26 player option, as Benedetto relays in another tweet. Even if he wants to remain in Denver, it probably makes sense for Westbrook to turn down that $3.47MM option, since a new minimum deal would pay him $3.63MM.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks has published his Nuggets offseason preview in the form of an ESPN.com article as well as a YouTube video. There are some key extension candidates to watch in Denver this summer, according to Marks, who identifies Jokic (veteran extension) and Braun (rookie scale extension) as two players who will be eligible to sign new deals.
In case you missed it, Adelman is reportedly considered a strong candidate to have his interim tag removed and become the Nuggets’ full-time head coach.

Adelman Considered Strong Candidate To Remain Nuggets’ Head Coach

May 18th, 2025 at 9:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In the aftermath of the Nuggets’ blowout loss to the Thunder in Game 7 on Sunday, one of their core players made it clear he wants David Adelman to return as head coach.

“I love DA,” forward Aaron Gordon said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I hope he’s here next year. I hope he’s our next coach. I hope he gets an entire training camp and a whole offseason to figure out his philosophy. DA’s great. He was excellent for us, and I hope that he’s here next year.”

Adelman was elevated from his assistant coaching job with three games remaining in the season after Michael Malone was fired, along with general manager Calvin Booth, by the team’s ownership. Malone and Booth had a strained relationship due to differences in opinion over the team’s personnel and Malone’s rotation decisions.

Adelman is considered a strong candidate to have the interim tag removed, MacMahon reports. However, team governor Josh Kroenke declined to directly address the head coaching job.

The team’s superstar, Nikola Jokic, indicated that Adelman did an admirable job under trying circumstances.

“You had three games to change something,” Jokic said. “I think he changed energy. I think the guys were woken up a little. Guys had more energy. He made us believe something, and we played good. We played a seven-game series against the best team in the NBA. We had opportunity, we had chances. I think he did a really good job.”

Guard Jamal Murray told the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando that “I think (Adelman) did a great job” noting “the different schemes that we came up with.”

Adelman, who was an assistant with Minnesota and Orlando prior to be hired by Denver in 2017, wouldn’t lobby for the job after team’s 125-93 loss.

“Decision-makers will make that decision,” he said. “Obviously blessed to have this opportunity to take the helm and lead this team. If I’m not back next year, I’ll obviously never forget this. It’s been an incredible experience. To have the buy-in from the guys was really special for me.”

Aaron Gordon Available For Game 7 Despite Grade 2 Hamstring Strain

May 18th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:07 pm: Gordon has been listed as available for Game 7 (Twitter link). He’ll get the start and will attempt to play through a hamstring injury that typically takes weeks to heal, tweets Charania.

8:56 am: Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that will likely prevent him from playing in today’s Game 7 at Oklahoma City, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Gordon is still hoping to be active for the series-deciding contest, but Charania hears that it’s “becoming physically improbable to do so” because he’ll need several weeks to fully recover from the injury.

Gordon, who hurt his hamstring late in Denver’s Game 6 victory, participated in Saturday’s walkthrough in hopes of receiving medical clearance, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. He is listed as questionable on the team’s official injury report and was expected to be a game-time decision.

“Obviously, (team medical staff) will do whatever they have to do for the safety of a person. But yeah, I don’t know,” interim coach David Adelman responded Saturday when asked about Gordon’s chances to play. “I’m sure the hoops (to jump through in order to play) are probably smaller because the game’s coming so quickly. It’s not a thing where he has three weeks to go through it. So it’ll probably be his comfortability along with the medical staff’s advice on what he can and can’t do. … If they say he’s available, he will start.”

Durando reports that Gordon was already dealing with the remnants of a calf strain that has been affecting him all season.

If Gordon doesn’t receive medical clearance, Durando expects either Russell Westbrook or Peyton Watson to take his place in the starting lineup. Adelman prepared for both scenarios during the walkthrough.

“You talk about plays you’re gonna run early in the game, actions to attack people. Some other guys took (Gordon’s) ball-handling responsibilities in case (he’s out),” Adelman said. “We know that’s where Aaron is so underrated and impactful, when he brings the ball up the court. So the other guys have to know those simple actions, but they’re not simple if you’ve never done them. So we walked through a lot of stuff today with different people. … But like I said, the hope is the responsibilities will be Aaron’s.”

Aaron Gordon Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 7

May 17th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Eli Cohen

May 17: Gordon will officially be listed as questionable for Game 7, Nuggets sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic. The 29-year-old forward will continue to receive treatment leading up to the game in an effort to suit up, Jones adds.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters on Saturday that Gordon participated in the team’s walk-through and is expected to be a game-time decision on Sunday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

“He fully was part of it,” Adelman said. “The game plan. Both sides of the ball. So if Aaron can play, he will play.”

May 16: Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. This leaves his availability for Sunday’s Game 7 against the Thunder up in the air.

Gordon has been a crucial piece of the Nuggets’ playoff run, hitting clutch shots in multiple games and playing excellent, versatile defense throughout the postseason. In this series, he is averaging 14.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from three.

With Michael Porter Jr. already struggling with a shoulder injury and Jamal Murray needing an IV to replenish his fluids going into Game 6, the Nuggets have dealt with plenty of health-related adversity throughout this series, but if Gordon is unable to suit up, it will be their biggest challenge yet.

Julian Strawther had a big Game 6 for Denver but is undersized to step into a forward role. Peyton Watson has struggled to contribute offensively, but his length and athleticism has provided some good moments on defense. If Gordon is limited, Watson may be called upon to step into a bigger role.