DENVER — The Denver Nuggets will be without a key piece while facing elimination Monday night.
Aaron Gordon has been ruled out for Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with calf tightness. The Nuggets announced his status after pregame warmups. Gordon was previously listed as questionable and ended up as a true game-time decision.
Gordon sustained the injury in Game 2 of the series and missed Game 3. He returned to play limited minutes in Game 4 Saturday, but won’t be able to play on Monday.
“This has been a crushing moment for him to have this happen two years in a row,” head coach David Adelman said in his pregame news conference. “Obviously he wasn’t himself the other night and still gave us decent minutes in the first half. I thought his body started to break down a bit in the second half. “
The Nuggets won Game 1 with Gordon in the lineup, but have since lost three straight as the Timberwolves have taken a 3-1 series lead.
Gordon is arguably Denver’s third-most important player behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and All-Star Jamal Murray. A versatile big who can stretch the floor and finish at the rim, Gordon averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.9% on 4.4 3-point attempts per game during the regular season.
Gordon’s absence will further test an already thin Denver bench that’s been shortened since the start of the playoffs. With Gordon out for Game 3, second-year reserve Spencer Jones stepped into the starting lineup. He posted six points in 23 minutes of a 113-96 Timberwolves win.
With the Nuggets facing elimination, Adelman said pregame that Game 5 would be “all hands on deck.”
Timberwolves down 2 starters, including All-Star Anthony Edwards
The Timberwolves will be significantly shorthanded with a chance to close out the series. Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo sustained a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Game 4. During the same game, All-Star Anthony Edwards sustained a hyperextended knee and bone bruise. The Timberwolves confirmed earlier Monday that Edwards is considered week-to-week with his injury.
Head coach Chris Finch expressed optimism pregame that Edwards could return at some point in the postseason if the Timberwolves advance.
“It’s a huge sigh of relief,” Finch said of Edwards not sustaining a more significant injury. … “If we can extend this playoff run for a bit, then we will be lucky enough to get him back. So I think for that, he’s excited, gives him something to work toward.”
Minnesota rallied late to beat Denver in Game 4 despite the injuries to Edwards and DiVincenzo. The Timberwolves will hope for a similar effort Monday night in Denver with a chance to secure a spot in the second round of the playoffs.
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