The second round of the NBA playoffs comes to a close on Sunday afternoon as the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder square off in Game 7 of their series.
Denver was able to extend the series with a victory at home in Game 6 on Thursday night and they will now look to steal a win on the road in Oklahoma City on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Of course, the Nuggets were able to steal Game 1 of the series on the road but they have been unable to grab a win in Oklahoma City since.
While the Nuggets will look to eliminate the Thunder on Sunday, they may have to do so without their star forward Aaron Gordon, who suffered a left hamstring strain at the end of Game 6.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gordon has suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that would take several weeks to recover.
Despite Charania’s report, Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman said ahead of tipoff that Gordon is trying to play in Sunday’s pivotal matchup.
“He’s going through the process right now. Grade number, I don’t really know…he’s trying to play,” Adelman said about Gordon. “We’ll see when we get to game time.”
This is a massive update provided by Adelman and one that comes as a surprise after Charania’s report earlier on Sunday.
Of course, it would take a lot for Gordon to play and it could be a costly decision by the Nuggets, especially if he was to suffer a more serious injury by playing.
Aaron Gordon
May 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) after scoring the winning basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Despite this, it seems as though Gordon’s going to try his hardest to play on Sunday afternoon, which would be a major boost for the Nuggets though he could be on a minutes restriction.
If Gordon is sidelined on Sunday, expect Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther and Russell Westbrook to have an increased role while Denver will rely heavily on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to carry them to the Western Conference Finals.