Aaron Gordon’s clutch shooting leads Nuggets’ comeback over Trail Blazers
Aaron Gordon's clutch outside shooting helped the Denver Nuggets rally from being down by as many as 18 points to top the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 137-132 in overtime Monday.
Denver (51-28) trailed for nearly all of regulation before taking a 125-123 lead with 27 seconds remaining when Gordon connected on a deep 2-point jumper in the right corner. Less than a minute earlier, Gordon sank a game-tying 3-pointer on the opposite side of the floor, part of his 23-point performance.
The Nuggets' lead was fleeting, as Deni Avdija answered with a basket in the paint on the other end to force overtime. But in the extra frame, Gordon set the tone with another crucial jumper, knocking down his fourth made 3-pointer of the night.
The triple gave Denver a lead in overtime it never relinquished, set up via one of Nikola Jokic's game-high 13 assists. The Most Valuable Player contender finished with a game-high 35 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for his 33rd triple-double of the season.
He dished his final assist to Jamal Murray for an exclamation-point dunk on the Nuggets' 10-3 run to open the extra frame. Denver's 12-7 advantage in overtime extended an overall run of 38-17 that began midway through the fourth quarter.
With 8:34 to go in regulation, Toumani Camara hit a jumper to cap his team-high 30-point game. The shot gave Portland a 115-99 lead, built largely with a long-range barrage.
The Blazers shot a blistering 25-of-52 from 3-point range, setting a record for the most triples ever made against a Denver team.
The Nuggets successfully countered with a whopping 66-32 advantage for points in the paint. Jonas Valanciunas played a key part off the bench, scoring 14 points in roughly 10 minutes of action and shooting 6-of-7 from the floor.
Julian Strawther added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Murray scored 20 points and Cameron Johnson had 17.
Jrue Holiday recorded a double-double for Portland in the loss, going for 19 points and 11 assists. Donovan Clingan also had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Denver's win moves the Nuggets into third place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers following their loss at Dallas on Sunday.