The Florida air was visibly successful in Aaron Gordon, X-factor of the Nuggets’ victory in Miami in Game 4 won 108-95 on the night. Former Magic player from 2014 to 2020, the Denver interior was happy to shine against his former sworn enemy to allow his people to lead 3-1 in these NBA Finals.
In the perfect role of lieutenant of the Murray-Jokic pair, Aaron Gordon was not far from perfection, delivering a high-level first half with 16 points, while confirming after returning from the locker room.
He thus illustrated himself with new sequences of choices, such as when he chained 7 points in just over a minute at the end of the third quarter, with an acrobatic alley-oop on a service from Nikola Jokic then a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 86-73. Miami never recovered and Aaron Gordon finished with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
A Huge X Factor
Denver needed additional input from its “role players” behind the Murray-Jokic pair in this match, and Aaron Gordon more than responded, relaunching Denver’s attack when it was a little stuck.
“That’s how the team is built. We have players who can stand out over the matches. Sometimes it’s your night, others it’s not.did he declare. “This team does a great job of finding players who are on pace. And in this match, I just wanted to shine for my teammates, because I know they need me. I wanted to do it for my brothers”.
Aaron Gordon also stood out for his good play readings like his six assists, but also his good movement and his efficiency (11/15 in shooting) which greatly helped Denver over the course of the match.
“That’s why we have him with us. He’s a dog, he’s tough, he’s physical, he’s tough.” praised Jamal Murray. “He is also cool and knows how to bring everyone together off the pitch. He is an altruistic player. He was solid throughout the playoffs. He just wants to win and we are all helping each other to achieve our goals.
| Aaron Gordon | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2014-15 | ENT | 47 | 17 | 44.7 | 27.1 | 72.1 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 5.2 |
| 2015-16 | ENT | 78 | 24 | 47.3 | 29.6 | 66.8 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 9.2 |
| 2016-17 | ENT | 80 | 29 | 45.4 | 28.8 | 71.9 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 12.7 |
| 2017-18 | ENT | 58 | 33 | 43.4 | 33.6 | 69.8 | 1.5 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 17.6 |
| 2018-19 | ENT | 78 | 34 | 44.9 | 34.9 | 73.1 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 16.0 |
| 2019-20 | ENT | 62 | 33 | 43.7 | 30.8 | 67.4 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 7.7 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 14.4 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 50 | 28 | 46.3 | 33.5 | 65.1 | 1.5 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 12.4 |
| 2020-21 * | ENT | 25 | 29 | 43.7 | 37.5 | 62.9 | 1.6 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 14.6 |
| 2020-21 * | DEN | 25 | 26 | 50.0 | 26.6 | 70.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 10.2 |
| 2021-22 | DEN | 75 | 32 | 52.0 | 33.5 | 74.3 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 15.0 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 68 | 30 | 56.4 | 34.7 | 60.8 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 6.6 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 16.3 |
| Total | 596 | 29 | 47.2 | 32.5 | 68.6 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 13.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
