Aaron Gordon has been dealing with a serious injury since he left Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals series between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, but the veteran forward is planning to play through the ailment.
Gordon was active for Game 7 against the Thunder on Sunday despite his hamstring injury. The 29-year-old has reportedly been diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that will need several weeks to heal, but he has chosen to play through it.
The plan was for Gordon to start the game:
Aaron Gordon will play and start in Game 7 for the Nuggets against the Thunder, source tells ESPN, gutting out a Grade 2 hamstring strain that requires weeks to heal. All on the line in Game 7 (3:30 pm ET, ABC). https://t.co/CZOOJOACFW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 18, 2025
Gordon appeared to be moving decent enough during Denver’s pregame shootaround.
Aaron Gordon is moving pretty well in his usual pregame warmup pic.twitter.com/YUcLSpWKtp
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) May 18, 2025
Gordon hurt his hamstring late in Denver’s Game 6 win over the Thunder. He came up hobbling after battling for a loose ball in the final two minutes.
Given the extent of the injury, it is safe to assume Gordon will not be playing at full strength.
An argument can be made that Gordon has been the Nuggets’ most important player in the postseason outside of Nikola Jokic. Gordon was responsible for two game-winning baskets in the playoffs. Denver stole a win in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to Gordon’s last-second putback slam. He also played hero when he hit a go-ahead three in Game 1 against the Thunder.
Gordon has averaged 14.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game through the first six games of Denver’s series against Oklahoma City.
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