The second round of the NBA Playoffs got off to a tough start for the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by two-time NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards, won the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The series moved to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4, and the Nuggets were able to overcome a hostile environment and get back on a winning track. The Nuggets won Game 5, 112-97, extending their winning streak to three games.
But shortly after Denver fell behind in the series, the team decided to hold a players-only dinner. The Nuggets haven’t lost in the playoffs since the dinner started. However, one player, Aaron Gordon, was conspicuously absent from the team dinner.
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#50 Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets dribbles during the second half of a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on December 22, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. The Nuggets won 122-117. (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
The team plans to continue on a player-only diet, with the exception of Gordon, at least through the remainder of the conference semifinals.
However, Gordon seems to understand why he has been left out of the dinner party and is handling it calmly.
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“DJ, are you guys going to the team dinner?” Gordon asked teammate DeAndre Jordan in the locker room after the team’s Game 5 win. Jordan planned the dinner.
“Well, not you,” Jordan responded, “but I think you’re right.” The Athletic. “See you in the next round (of the playoffs). Sorry, I’ll bring you some takeout.”
#50 Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets makes a 3-pointer during the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on December 12, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
“Okay,” Gordon said. “got it.”
The first team dinner was held at a steakhouse in Minneapolis and was seen as an opportunity for the team to come together after a disappointing start against the Timberwolves.
December 25, 2023. Denver, Colorado, USA. Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) during the third quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Gordon missed the postwar dinner, but decided that some retail therapy would be beneficial.
“I bought some tricycles for my family,” Gordon told The Athletic. “It’s a little bit of retail therapy. It’s called Vanderhall. It’s really crazy. I went in thinking he was just going to buy one. But generosity and a little bit of fun helps.”
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In Game 6, the Timberwolves will take on the Nuggets.
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