The Denver Nuggets got smacked in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After what had been one of the most exciting back-and-forth series of these playoffs so far, NBA fans tuned in to what was not a very competitive Game 7 as the Thunder dominated the Nuggets 125-93 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
This outcome was somewhat predictable, especially after Nuggets’ forward Aaron Gordon went down with a hamstring strain at the end of Game 6. Gordon’s injury didn’t hold him back from suiting up for Game 7, even if it was against the wishes of the Nuggets’ star and captain.
Nikola Jokic on what he told Gordon before Game 7: “I told him not to play…You can injure yourself even worse. You can see that he was struggling, hard to move, this and that. But he went out there to fight with us. We can just appreciate it.”
Fight is exactly what Gordon did. Despite being obviously hobbled, Gordon still impacted the game through hustle and determination. Gordon scored only eight points on 2-of-4 shooting, but added 11 rebounds, which were essential to keeping the Nuggets in the game early.
It shows just how good of a teammate both Gordon and Jokic really are. Jokic was more worried about his teammate further injuring himself than getting the necessary support he would need to win Game 7. Gordon put his health on the line for an opportunity to help his team in whatever way he could.
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We may never know what the Nuggets could have done with a healthy Gordon in Game 7. Still, both Jokic and Gordon showed their championship attitudes with their play and attitude around Gordon’s devastating hamstring injury.
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