The Denver Nuggets came up short on Tuesday night as they suffered a 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their NBA playoffs second-round series.
Aaron Gordon wasn't able to play the role of the hero for Denver in this one, unlike in previous games, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and one three-pointer in 37 minutes of action.
Gordon, however, was not in the mood to talk about Tuesday's loss during his post-game interview. Instead, he wanted to address a report about a heated discussion between him and teammate Russell Westbrook.
Apparently, Gordon and Westbrook got into it following their Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City. According to a report by ESPN, "Gordon had challenged Westbrook about his attitude."
Gordon just had to address the issue on Tuesday night.
"Earlier, I caught wind of an article that came out about Russell Westbrook in our locker room after Game 2, which was a completely arbitrary article and pointless and
unnecessary by whoever it was that put it out," Gordon said.
Denver Nuggets stars Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook
Denver Nuggets stars Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Gordon then went on to heap praise on Westbrook as he described what type of relationship he has with the former NBA MVP.
"Russ is one of the most talented basketball players that has ever played the game of basketball," Gordon declared. "Quite frankly, he's been great for us all year long.
"We're brothers. We spend more time with our team than we do with our own family. Of course, there's going to be disagreements. But that conversation wasn't for anybody other than our own group and the internal workings of our locker room."
Based on his statement here, Gordon did not deny having a "disagreement" with Westbrook. He did play it down, though, implying that this was nothing more than a spirited discussion between teammates.
"So that article is just so arbitrary and so far from the truth," Gordon continued. "Russ has been amazing for us. And not only is he a great basketball player, but he's an even better human being.
"And he's going to continue to be great for us, and he's going to make a huge impact, and he's going to help us win these next two games."
Westbrook will need to be at his very best in Game 6 on Thursday. The same will be the case for Gordon and the rest of the Nuggets squad.
Simply put, Denver will need to win in Game 6 to keep their season alive. A loss will mark the end of the road for them.