Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

When Aaron Gordon shines, Nuggets are (literally) unbeatable

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 4/26/24

Jamal Murray might be the Robin to Nikola Jokic's Batman, but Aaron Gordon is the muscle of that operation. He's the brute force that powers an otherwise finesse team.

Gordon's physicality has been key to the Nuggets' continued dominance of the Lakers. Be it crashing the boards, guarding LeBron James and Anthony Davis on switches, or stopping short any chance the Lakers have had to get transition buckets, Gordon has "big-boyed" the Lakers through and through.

As such, any sort of offensive production that Gordon brings is almost a luxury to Denver. And when he scores at least 20 points, the defending champions are literally unbeatable. The Nuggets are 5-0 in playoff games when Gordon reaches the scoring threshold. Thursday's Game 3 win was the latest instance.

Aaron Gordon tonight:

29 PTS (playoff career-high)
15 REB (playoff career-high)
12-18 FG

Nuggets are 5-0 when he has a 20-point playoff game. https://t.co/EGFdGfQYaz
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 26, 2024

While Gordon is Denver's fourth-highest scorer, he's become an indispensable piece who does all the dirty work for the defending champions.

Aaron Gordon’s evolution as a big man since joining the Nuggets is one of the coolest NBA stories of the last few years.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) April 26, 2024

After the Nuggets seized a commanding 3-0 lead over the Lakers, Jokic broke down why Gordon is truly the unsung hero of his team.

"He knows that every game is going to be different for him, and he is fine with it," Jokic told reporters. "He knows that there will be nights when he scores 10 points. He knows there will be nights like tonight where he gets a lot of touches and he's amazing. He does whatever our team needs, and our team would not be the same without him."

Indeed. Remove Gordon from this team, and the Nuggets would not be competing for championships.

More must-reads: