Aaron Gordon Explains What Made the Nuggets’ 41-Point Quarter Stick

Aaron Gordon watched the Denver Nuggets erase a halftime deficit against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. What stood out to him was how Denver kept pulling away once its starters began coming out of the game.

The Nuggets outscored Toronto 41-15 in the third quarter on their way to a 128-109 win. Gordon scored 17 points in 25 minutes, and Nikola Jokić finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 201st career regular-season triple-double.

Jokić grabbed his 10th rebound and scored on a putback just before the third-quarter buzzer. It was the 90th time in his career he completed a triple-double through three quarters. With Denver up 105-82, he sat out the fourth.

Toronto shot 59.1% in the first half and led 67-64 at halftime. Denver held the Raptors to 5-for-23 shooting in the third and forced seven turnovers, giving the Nuggets chances to push the ball before Toronto could set its defense.

Gordon said the starters came out of halftime with energy and a defensive mindset. The players who came in behind them, he said, “sustained it.” Denver stuck with its game plan through the lineup changes, and the Raptors scored fewer points in the third than they had in either of the first two quarters.

Rookie forward Bryce Hopkins took on a bigger role after DeMar DeRozan was scratched before tipoff and finished with a career-high 18 points. Gordon said Hopkins was ready when his name was called and has shown he can handle those opportunities. Hopkins finished second on the team in scoring behind Jokić.

Tyus Jones added eight assists, and Marvin Bagley III scored 10 points in just over 14 minutes. Denver’s reserves contributed 42 points, and seven Nuggets scored in double figures. The bench helped protect the lead while Denver rested the players who had helped build it.

Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman kept Gordon on the floor longer in the first quarter alongside Jokić and Jamal Murray.

Adelman then paired Cam Johnson with some of Denver’s younger players. Gordon sat at the start of the second and fourth quarters, stretches in which he has sometimes played with the reserves.

Gordon said he and Adelman have known each other for most of his NBA career and can speak candidly about what works. Gordon framed those conversations around what helps the team over a long season.

Adelman said he is still evaluating which players work well together and can adjust those combinations depending on the opponent.

Gordon went 7 for 9 from the field in 25 minutes, and Murray played fewer than 29 minutes. Denver’s third-quarter run gave Adelman room to manage both workloads while keeping Jokić on the bench for the final 12 minutes.

Gordon said the win was good for Denver’s confidence heading into a four-game road trip. The Nuggets went into halftime trailing at home, took control with their defense and got enough from their reserves to give all three starters a lighter night.