The Nuggets came into their early morning tilt with the Western Conference leaders hoping to find a rhythm and make a statement. But instead, the Nuggets came out of this game limping and searching for answers after a disappointing 127-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The final score isn’t an accurate picture of how this game actually went down though. The Nuggets battled all night, even clearly at less than full strength, and kept this game close until the final minutes. It certainly wasn’t what the team was hoping for, but there were some positives on display on Sunday.
For one, Michael Porter Jr. played very well and stepped it up offensively on a night when his team really needed it. His 24 points and 15 rebounds helped keep the team in the game. Christian Braun was also active, adding a huge 19 points and playing solid defense. But these showings paled in comparison to the big stories of the day.
Aaron Gordon re-injures calf
Aaron Gordon had a nice start to the game but tweaked his hamstring just 6 minutes in and didn’t return. He immediately went back to the locker room and was officially listed as questionable, but never came back to the Nuggets bench.
Aaron Gordon is unlikely to return to this game, I'm told. He's still officially questionable, but he's probably not coming back with calf tightness
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) March 9, 2025
Gordon just returned from an ankle injury, but previously missed nine games with a right hamstring injury. This appears to be soreness on that same hamstring, an injury that has lingered and has proven to be impacting AG for basically the entire season. We still don’t know the severity, but this is not good news at all.
All we can do is wait for an update and hope for the best, but the Nuggets may be without Gordon yet again, and he may not be at 100% even when he comes back. With soft-tissue issues, there is constant fear of reinjury or aggravation and that’s exactly what we’re seeing now.
Nikola Jokic hurts elbow on shooting hand
A smaller injury, but perhaps just as big of a story is what happened to Nikola Jokic. He got tangled up with Isaiah Hartenstein on a first-quarter drive and fell awkwardly, landing hard on his right elbow. He stayed in the game and ended up playing 41 minutes and putting up 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists.
But Jokic had 14 points and 5 rebounds before the elbow injury on 6/11 shooting and scored just 10 points the rest of the way while shooting 4/12. It was clearly affecting him, especially his shot, and after the game, he was spotted with a big ice pack on the right elbow.
Jokic has an ice pack wrapped around his right elbow in the locker room. https://t.co/8Wh50QiPkj
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) March 9, 2025
Michael Malone said after the game that Jokic is “fine”, but he didn’t exactly look fine out there. Hopefully, this is just a pain issue and he will actually be fine with a few days off, but that remains to be seen. Obviously, any major injury for Jokic would effectively end the Nuggets’ season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander puts decisive stamp on MVP race
While Jokic finished with solid stats, he certainly didn’t live up to his lofty standards and didn’t put forth his best defensive effort as the Thunder pulled away late, running up the score. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, was masterful, dropping 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and stealing the show in a decisive victory.
The MVP race isn’t over just yet, but this was a big moment and statement for Shai. He already had a leg up and nothing that happened on Sunday is going to change the minds of voters. Jokic has another chance on Monday, but at this point, if we are being realistic, it’s going to take something pretty drastic for the Joker to leapfrog SGA and win the award for a fourth time in five years.