How Aaron Gordon helped the Denver Nuggets win Game 4 over the Timberwolves

Jeremy Vernon

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How Aaron Gordon helped the Denver Nuggets win Game 4 over the Timberwolves image

Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals couldn't possibly have gone any worse for Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon.

After helping his team win its first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Gordon had a total plus-minus of -56 over the first two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves. His -35 in Game 2 was actually the worst performance in Denver's playoff history since plus-minus stats started being tracked in 2007-08.

Losing both games at home and going down 2-0 in the series, the defending champions needed someone outside of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to step up and flip the script. Gordon answered the bell, and his performance in Game 4 on Sunday night might have been the best of his entire career.

Playing a team-high 41 minutes on the road in Minnesota, Gordon had 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting to go with seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Gordon is now just one of 22 players in NBA history to score 25 points in a playoff game while shooting over 90% from the field, and the first to do it since Chris Paul had 33 points on 14-of-14 shooting for the Suns against the Pelicans in Game 6 of the 2022 Western Conference first round.

Gordon was invaluable on both ends of the court, especially in the third quarter after Jokic checked out of the game with his fourth foul. With the league MVP on the bench, Gordon became Denver's primary ball-handler and did well initiating the offense along with Murray in the pick-and-roll.

With Denver out of the game from 6:00 to 0:02 in the third quarter, the Nuggets only let Minnesota cut into the lead by four points — from 15 to 11. Gordon was arguably the main reason why they were able to maintain a double-digit advantage entering the final quarter of play.

The way Gordon operated offensively Sunday was similar to his days in Orlando, when he was more of a scoring wing than a player whose primary contributions are now mostly rebounding and playing sound defense. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward looked more like a running back at times when taking on smaller defenders in transition, including when he truck-sticked Mike Conley before hitting a high-arching floater while getting fouled in the first quarter.

On a different play in the second quarter, Denver ran an isolation play for Gordon on the left wing, and he blew by Nickeil Alexander-Walker before throwing down a two-handed dunk right in front of Anthony Edwards, who made a business decision and stepped out of the way to avoid being posterized.

Gordon also made both of his attempts from 3-point range in Game 4, and he has made eight of his 11 shots (72.7%) from beyond the arc since the start of Game 2. Entering this postseason, Gordon shot just 32.3% from 3-point range on 3.2 attempts per game.

Equally as impressive as his shot-making of late is his ability as a playmaker. Gordon has had at least five assists in three of the four games against Minnesota and in five games overall this playoffs.

During the 2022-23 postseason, Gordon averaged only 2.6 assists per game and totaled five-plus assists in four of Denver's 20 playoff games total.

After Game 4, Gordon credited Jokic for helping him make the adjustment into a more selfless player, saying, "If a three-time MVP can do it, I can do it too."

Jeremy Vernon

Jeremy Vernon Photo

Jeremy Vernon is a reporter and editor from Greensboro, North Carolina, with a decade of experience in the industry. His previous stops include MLB.com and two local papers in N.C. — the Monroe Enquirer-Journal and the Chatham News + Record. When he isn’t working, you can likely find Jeremy at the dog park with his two-year old lab mix, Summer.