Aaron Gordon barely had time to break a sweat in tonight’s NBA Cup matchup against the Houston Rockets. Three minutes into the game, the veteran forward subbed out of the game, holding the back of his right leg. He was out for the rest of the game, and despite Denver’s win, there was concern for his condition.

After the game, Nuggets head coach David Adelman addressed the media and issued an update on Gordon’s status.

“Adelman: Aaron Gordon (hamstring) expected to miss some time,” Underdog posted on X.

It’s on his right hamstring, and before the game, his status was already ‘questionable.’ He was managing a bilateral hamstring situation. He was upgraded to ‘probable’ before the game, but that now seems like a mistake.

Gordon, who has already missed time due to injury earlier in the season, is having a career year, shooting a blistering 45.2% from three for a career-high 20.3 points per game. He also recorded a 50-point outing in his season debut, and has discovered an intriguing mix of downhill force, long-range shooting, and defensive tenacity that has made him Denver‘s ultimate connective piece next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Now, without that elite production, it feels like a brick has been pulled from the Nuggets’ foundation.

Throughout November, Gordon was dealing with a left hamstring issue, and he seems to have avoided any added pressure on that injury, since the current issue is on the other leg.

Gordon has been so integral to this iteration of the Nuggets team that even positional rival Draymond Green previously admitted, “Aaron Gordon is so much better than people realise. He plays his role at a very high level.”

Green, one of the hardest competitors in the league, also added, “To me he is one of the more underrated guys in this league. I think people tend to forget he’s a top ten pick, you know, so we’ve always expected and known he has this talent. But, I just think he does not get half the credit of what Aaron Gordon should get.”

Previously, Gordon, speaking on his amazing season, said, “I think that I’m at a point in my career where my body, my mind, and my game are all kind of catching up and evening out in my prime… So I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been in basketball, and I feel like we’re gonna see another championship.”

Now, that hope for another ring might be in jeopardy, especially if he misses too much time.

Nuggets Close Without Aaron Gordon as Jokic & Murray Take Over

Nikola Jokic didn’t waste a second after the game tightened. The three-time MVP calmly hit late shots, rebounded hard, and steadied a Denver Nuggets team that had let go of a double digit lead late. He finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, sealing the win with two free throws at 2.7 seconds left. Jamal Murray matched his effort, logging 26 points and 10 assists as Denver improves to 2-1 in the battleground that is West Group C.

The Houston Rockets were led by Reed Sheppard tonight, who came out swinging, knocking down five threes for 27 points off the bench. His 18-point second quarter swung the game early, giving the Rockets a 49-46 halftime lead. Jabari Smith Jr. also contributed with 21 points before fouling out on the play that sent Jokic to the line late, but the Rockets never got the production they needed from their stars: Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun logged just 13 and 14 points each.

Denver set the tone early, holding Houston to just six made shots in the first quarter to build an early lead. The Nuggets bench also performed well, with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown combining for 22 points. Denver successfully prevented overtime tonight and snapped the Rockets’ five-game winning streak.