The Denver Nuggets picked up a huge 141-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night behind a 48-point performance by superstar center Nikola Jokic. The 30-point win is exactly what the Nuggets needed after a disappointing loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Denver's win was very convincing, but standout forward Aaron Gordon seemingly got away with a foul in the third quarter. While referees make mistakes all the time and a missed call is nothing surprising, Gordon's no-call contact led to an injury.
In the third quarter of Sunday's matchup in Atlanta, Gordon incidentally hit Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter in the head. The hard hit sent Hunter to the ground before he got up and went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. Thankfully, Hunter was able to return to the game, but a foul was not called on Gordon for the hit.
De'Andre Hunter and Aaron Gordon
Dec 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) is defended at the basket by Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) during the second half at State Farm Arena. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Following the Nuggets win, Crew Chief Mark Lindsay admitted that the officials made a mistake in the NBA Pool Report conducted by Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"During live play, we felt Gordon makes legal contact to the ball with his right hand," Lindsay said. "However, during postgame video review, we observed that Gordon makes illegal contact with his forearm across the side of Hunter’s head and a foul should have been called."
Since the Nuggets escaped Atlanta with a 30-point win, this missed no-call does not seem to have made too much of a difference in the lopsided outcome. The good news is that Hunter's injury was not serious, but a foul seemed too obvious to not be called.
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