Los Angeles is used to seeing star power, but it was the contributions of a role player who helped the Denver Nuggets knock off the Lakers on the road, 112-105, to take a 3-0 first-round series lead Thursday night.
Aaron Gordon was thrust into the spotlight and did not disappoint, totaling a playoff career-high 29 points to go with 15 rebounds and three assists. He also grabbed five offensive rebounds for the second time so far this series.
Denver got off to another slow start in Game 3, as Los Angeles opened the night on an 8-0 run and led by 10 after the first quarter, but the Nuggets never let things get out of reach. Head coach Michael Malone's team didn't grab its first lead until 10:07 left in the third quarter, but they held onto that advantage throughout the rest of the game.
Here is every single Aaron Gordon Field goal and each of his offensive rebounds pic.twitter.com/lR9Q3c6t2h
— . (@ThinkdontSee) April 26, 2024
At one point in the third, Gordon scored on three consecutive possessions and had 10 points in a five and a half minute stretch during the period. Before Thursday's game, Gordon had averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the first two postseason matchups with the Lakers.
Gordon's energy and efficiency couldn't be matched by any Lakers' role players. D'Angelo Russell had his worst game of the series by far, scoring zero points on 0-of-9 shooting from the field. Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers combined to shoot 18-of-47 (38.3%) from the field.
The 29 points Gordon scored in Game 2 were actually more than the Lakers' bench scored in Games 2 and 3 combined (25). Denver is 5-0 in the postseason when Gordon scores at least 20 points in a game.
The Denver forward also played tenacious defense Thursday while primarily guarding James, who finished the night with 26 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon tonight each had:
— Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch) April 26, 2024
20+ Points
15+ Rebounds
65.0+ FG%
Across nearly 4000 playoff games played in the last 60 years, they’re the first teammates to reach those marks in the same postseason game. pic.twitter.com/w39yzJTb9V
Gordon's impact so far this playoffs has been even more important given the struggles of Denver guard Jamal Murray, who is shooting 37.7% from the field so far this postseason.
The second half of Gordon's NBA career has been almost the antithesis of his first, but you have to imagine he prefers his current situation to the one he was in previously. The forward played his first seven seasons in Orlando and was the Magic's primary scorer and playmaker.
Gordon played seven seasons with the Magic before being traded to Denver during the 2020-21 season. Since joining the Nuggets, he has averaged 14.5 points, 6,1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 54.2% from the field.
Nobody:
— 𝘉𝘙𝘠 ⁶ 𝘔𝘖𝘕𝘛𝘈𝘕𝘈 ²³ 👑 (@BryMontana) April 26, 2024
Aaron Gordon vs the Lakers: pic.twitter.com/XpU1o67wkW
During his time in Orlando, Gordon only made two playoff appearances and never made it past the first round. Now, he is a major piece of a team searching for its second straight NBA Championship.
