After a seven-game series with the Clippers in round one, the Nuggets had a short turnaround. They beat LA on Saturday in the first round and then faced Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Monday evening.
Denver outscored OKC 71-59 in the second half and closed the game on a 15-4 run. They were down by nine points with three minutes left in Game 1. The Thunder were up 119-118 with less than 10 seconds. Chet Holmgren missed a free throw, and Denver rebounded the ball. Christian Braun passed the ball to Russell Westbrook, who found an open Aaron Gordon on the wing. For the second time in the 2025 playoffs, Gordon hit a game-winning shot for Denver. The Nuggets stole Game 1 from the Thunder.
Aaron Gordon’s three won the game for Denver on Monday night
AARON GORDON GAME WINNER. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 6, 2025
Less than two weeks ago, the Nuggets had an incredible victory vs. the Clippers in the first round. Game 4 was tied 99-99 late, and Denver had the final possession. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic attempted a shot that went long and did not hit the rim. However, Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon was in the perfect position to rebound Jokic’s missed shot. In one motion, Gordon rebounded the ball and slammed it down for a dunk as the buzzer expired.
Miraculously, he released the ball with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. It was an impressive 101-99 victory. On Monday night for Game 1 vs. the Thunder, Aaron Gordon showed up for some late-game heroics. With 9.5 seconds left, OKC’s Chet Holmgren missed two straight free throws, and Christian Bruan grabbed the defensive rebound. He quickly passed the ball to Russell Westbrook, who moved up the court. Westbrook fired a pass to Aaron Gordon.
The big man knocked down the 25-foot jump shot and stole Game 1 for the Thunder. His second time in the last two weeks, hitting a game-winning shot in the playoffs. In the 2024-25 regular season, Gordon shot a career-high .436 percent from beyond the arc. Gordon credits the warehouse he purchased and turned into a home/gym for his consistency from beyond the arc. Aaron Gordon has worked to improve his accuracy, and it’s paying off in the biggest moments.