Denver is not what it is now without Aaron Gordon. He came through the door in 2021 and quickly became a key part of the franchise that became NBA champions in 2023.
Eron Gordon showed again why he is one of Nikola Jokić’s favorite teammates. The Serb and the American are one of the best tandems in the NBA league, and the Los Angeles Lakers felt that firsthand.
Denver took a 3-0 lead against the Lakers, and it was in the third game of the first round of the playoffs that the best player was Aaron Gordon.
Denver’s “X Factor” finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, and was the engine that kept the Nuggets in the game during the first half.
He struggled on the offensive rebound, hit free throws in key moments, and earned praise from the team after the game.
“He has accepted his role and knows what he is doing.” “Without him, this wouldn’t be the same team,” Jokic said of Gordon.
The wing center of the NBA champion returned the favor to the Serb after another triumph (112:105) over the famous club.
“Jokić is a genius who decided to play basketball.” He makes the game very easy, he ‘unlocks’ it and you start to see three, four steps forward. Everything seems so much easier,” says Gordon.
The man who stopped LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers with his defense, and for a long time he was known as just an athlete and a player who can only dunk the ball attractively.
It’s hard to say expelled, but he left the Orlando Magic in 2021 on bad terms. After that, he became an important player for Malone and the team, and in these playoffs he is averaging 18.3 points.
After winning the championship, he promised Jokić that he would come to Sombor, and he fulfilled that promise. The previous year, Jokić gave up playing for Serbia at Mundobasket, so he had time to show his teammate the beauty of Sombor and our country.
When he appeared at the hippodrome, a great applause followed, and at that moment Jokić was holding his cousin on his back. Together, they followed the races of Jokić’s horse “Amsterdam”, which in an uncertain finish finished in second position, behind the neck of Sammy Davis.
They soon took to the court to raise the trophy together, just like when they won the first NBA championship.
Gordon has become a jewel that Jokić keeps from the NBA, and everyone has forgotten that the American visited Jokić when he played for Serbia during EuroBasket 2022.
“Serbs are a force, they always have been. They are a great basketball team. As I always say, if you have Jokic in the team, you can win any game,” Gordon said after Serbia’s win over Poland.
After that, he predicted Denver’s title to Serbian journalists in Berlin.
“I would just like to greet the fans in Serbia and thank them for their support.” Stay tuned, big things are coming in Denver,” Gordon said at the time.
During the league part of the season, the ace of the Nuggets recorded 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
The next match between Denver and the Lakers will be played on the night between Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 and then they will have the opportunity to potentially confirm their place in the second round of the 12th with a tied victory against the team from Los Angeles.
BONUS VIDEO Denver and Nikola Jokic made it 3-0 against the Lakers in Los Angeles
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