Gordon led a balanced attack for the Nuggets to help them advance to the next round. He was one of six players to score in double figures for Denver, which included all five starters. Gordon had a strong series, and they’ll need him to continue to play at a high level against Oklahoma City in the second round. The Nuggets went 3-0 in the first round when Gordon scored at least 20 points.

Having shot 40 percent from three in the first five games of the series, Gordon provided solid value in that category after making a career-best 43.6 percent of his attempts during the regular season. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, he came back to earth on Thursday, going 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. While Gordon shot the ball well overall, better three-point shooting would have helped the Nuggets compensate for Michael Porter Jr.'s poor night. Denver will host Game 7 on Saturday night.

To argue that Gordon may have saved Denver’s season on Saturday would not be an exaggeration. In a play similar to Lorenzo Charles’ dunk to win the 1983 national title for NC State, the Nuggets’ forward slammed home a Nikola Jokic airball as time expired to even the series at two games apiece. Still struggling with a calf that sidelined him on multiple occasions during the regular season, Gordon shot over 50 percent from the field and finished in double figures for the fourth straight game. Game 5 is on Tuesday night.

Gordon got off to a hot start Thursday night, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field in the first quarter. Unfortunately for him, that was as good as it got in Game 3, and a lingering right calf injury could be a factor. During the game, the NBATV announcers reported that Nuggets interim coach David Adelman had informed them that Gordon would not be playing if it were the regular season. But it’s the postseason, so the veteran forward is doing his best to push through the injury. Game 4 is on Saturday in Los Angeles.