Nuggets rule out Aaron Gordon for elimination Game 5 vs. Timberwolves, who will be without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets will be without a key piece while facing elimination Monday night.

Aaron Gordon has been ruled out for Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with calf tightness. The Nuggets announced his status after pregame warmups. Gordon was previously listed as questionable and ended up as a true game-time decision.

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Gordon sustained the injury in Game 2 of the series and missed Game 3. He returned to play limited minutes in Game 4 Saturday, but won’t be able to play on Monday.

“This has been a crushing moment for him to have this happen two years in a row.,” head coach David Adelman said in his pregame news conference. “Obviously he wasn’t himself the other night and still gave us decent minutes in the first half. I thought his body started to break down a bit in the second half. “

The Nuggets won Game 1 with Gordon in the lineup, but have since lost three straight as the Timberwolves have taken a 3-1 series lead.

Gordon is arguably Denver’s third-most important player behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and All-Star Jamal Murray. A versatile big who can stretch the floor and finish at the rim, Gordon averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.9% on 4.4 3-point attempts per game during the regular season.

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Gordon’s absence will further test an already thin Denver bench that’s been shortened since the start of the playoffs. With Gordon out for Game 3, second-year reserve Spencer Jones stepped into the starting lineup. He posted six points in 23 minutes of a 113-96 Timberwolves win.

With the Nuggets facing elimination, Adelman said pregame that Game 5 would be “all hands on deck.”

Timberwolves down 2 starters, including All-Star Anthony Edwards

The Timberwolves will be significantly shorthanded with a chance to close out the series. Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo sustained a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Game 4. During the same game, All-Star Anthony Edwards sustained a hyperextended knee and bone bruise. The Timberwolves confirmed earlier Monday that Edwards is considered week-to-week with…

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Author : Jason Owens

Publish date : 2026-04-28 01:35:00

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