Aaron Gordon’s status for Game 6 was up in the air Wednesday after a light practice at Target Center, leaving the Nuggets uncertain whether one of their most important frontcourt pieces will be available in a must-have game on Thursday night. Gordon, who has been dealing with left calf tightness since Game 2, was officially listed as questionable for the matchup in Minnesota.
That uncertainty follows a bruising stretch for Denver’s forward. Gordon missed Game 3, returned for Game 4 and played 23 minutes while visibly struggling, then sat out Game 5 as the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 125-113 to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. In that Game 4 loss, he scored 9 points and grabbed 1 rebound on 4-for-11 shooting, a sharp drop from the kind of two-way production Denver usually expects from him.
Coach David Adelman did not hide the importance of the decision, saying everybody knows Gordon wants to play and calling him the ultimate teammate and a player who has been so good for the Nuggets over the years. But he added that the team has to do what is right for Gordon and for the group, especially with the series hanging in the balance and Game 6 set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. MT. If Gordon cannot go, Adelman said, Denver is talking about a different kind of personnel, and the team’s spacing changes completely.
Denver has already had to adapt once. Spencer Jones replaced Gordon in the starting lineup for Game 5 and delivered 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks, helping the Nuggets survive without one of their regular starters. Peyton Watson also remained out for Game 6 because of a right hamstring injury, thinning the rotation further as Denver tries to close out the series in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves had an injury question of their own, with guard Bones Hyland also listed as questionable for Game 6 because of knee soreness. But the biggest unanswered piece remains Gordon, whose availability could decide how much of Denver’s edge it can carry into a game that could push the Nuggets into the next round or send the series back to Denver with everything still hanging on one more night.
