Aaron Gordon’s Denver Nuggets looked lost in the first two games of their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Losing the first two games of the series at home is never ideal for a team looking to defend their NBA title. Fast forward a few days, and all is good in Nuggets land again. Two straight road wins to even up the Western Conference Semifinals will do that for a team.
After winning Game 3 fairly easily, Denver took Game 4 by the score of 115-107. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic had his typical dominant performance with 35 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Averaging just 89.5 points over the first two games of the series, the Nuggets have averaged 116 in Games 3 and 4.
The game ball may go to Gordon though who had an outstanding shooting and all-around performance in Sunday’s game.
Nuggets Forward Becomes Third Ever With Playoff Statline
Historic Performance by Gordon in Game 4
Through the first three games of their series against Minnesota, Aaron Gordon was putting up his normal production. He totaled 42 points in those outings after averaging 13.9 in the regular season.
Game 4 was a breakout performance for the 28-year-old. One look at the box score should help one come to that realization.
I asked Aaron Gordon where he learned to be selfless, right as Nikola Jokić walked in for his press conference (you can see it in this video)
AG smiles and says I “saw big fella step in to the room.”
“If a 3 time MVP can do it, I can do it too.” pic.twitter.com/acvdNr20Ox
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) May 13, 2024
The 10th-year pro finished the game shooting an oh-so-efficient 11-12 from the field. He connected on both of his three-point tries and made all three of his free-throw attempts.
Altogether, Gordon finished the night with 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. The team was a +9 in his 41 minutes which is important in what was an eight-point victory.
Players with a 25/5/5 playoff game on 90+ FG%:
Mitch Richmond
Chris Paul (shot 100%)And now, Aaron Gordon. pic.twitter.com/fP1pZJB2XS
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 13, 2024
When Did the Other Instances With That Statline Before Gordon Occur?
As shown by StatMuse, Gordon became just the third player in a postseason contest to finish with at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 90% shooting.
The first player to accomplish that statline in the playoffs was Mitch Richmond. The 2014 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee actually did so in his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors. On May 2, 1989, Richmond helped his Warriors sweep the Utah Jazz in the opening-round (best-of-3 series). The shooting guard finished 9-10 from the field with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
The only other time that statline was achieved was by Chris Paul. It happened just a little over two years ago on April 28, 2022, while the point guard was with the Phoenix Suns. In the Game 6 opening round clinching win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Paul didn’t miss a shot. He went 14-14 from the field in a game he scored 33 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out eight assists.
Gordon will look to continue the momentum from his stellar performance when Game 5 of the Nuggets series takes place on Tuesday.
