The Denver Nuggets got the kind of update no contender wants in the middle of a tight Western Conference race. Aaron Gordon, one of their most important players, is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
He had already been managing issues in both hamstrings, and the injury worsened during Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets. It’s a frustrating setback, especially because Gordon pushed through a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in last year’s Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The loss hits harder because Gordon has been in the middle of one of the best stretches of his career. He’s averaging a career-high 18.8 points, along with 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 53.2% from the field and a career-high 44.4% from deep.
Everything about his role fit perfectly around Nikola Jokic, the timely cuts, the screening, the secondary scoring, the defensive versatility. Taking that off the floor for more than a month creates an immediate hole Denver can’t ignore.
It also piles onto an injury problem already affecting the rotation. Christian Braun will be out for roughly six weeks with a sprained ankle, and losing him alone damaged Denver’s perimeter defense and bench energy. Now, with Gordon sidelined too, David Alelman has to fill two major gaps at once.
Denver sits at 12–4, second in the West, but there isn’t much room to breathe. The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are right behind them, and the conference is shaping up to be a battle every night. Gordon’s absence comes at a time when one bad week can see a team drop several spots.
Saturday’s loss to the Kings was a preview of what Denver may look like without him. They gave up 128 points, allowed Sacramento to shoot better than 52%, and never got control of the paint. Russell Westbrook dissected them with 21 points and 11 assists, and Sacramento repeatedly got downhill with little resistance. Without Gordon’s size and mobility, Denver’s rotations were late, their help defense was shaky, and their physical edge disappeared.
Jokic was phenomenal again: 44 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and Jamal Murray added 23 and nine assists. But it still wasn’t enough because the frontcourt gaps were too big. Denver struggled to contain drivers, couldn’t challenge shots consistently, and had no one to cover up mistakes on switches.
The bench continues to be another issue. Sacramento’s reserves outscored Denver’s 48–20. With Braun and Gordon out, the bench isn’t just filling minutes; it’s being asked to take on real responsibility. So far, that load has looked heavy.
Denver still has Jokic, still has Murray, and still has a system built around smart, disciplined basketball. That gives them a chance to survive stretches like this. But losing one of their best defenders and one of their most reliable scorers for up to six weeks is a serious hit.
In the West, that can be the difference between fighting for the top seed and fighting to stay out of the middle pack. Denver will have to hold the line until Gordon returns. And right now, that’s a tall task.
