Nuggets ahead Aaron Gordon pushed again on the concept Denver intentionally maneuvered its place within the standings to dodge the Minnesota Timberwolves — the group that knocked them out final postseason — and dismissed the notion of manipulating wins and losses to dictate playoff seeding.

In a CBS interview on Wednesday shared on X (previously Twitter) by Nuggets beat reporter Joel Rush, Gordon was requested if Denver purposely prevented drawing the Timberwolves in Spherical 1. The Nuggets ended the season 50-32, locking up the No. 4 seed — only one win higher than the 49-33 Timberwolves, who landed at No. 6.

With how tight the Western Convention standings have been, the playoff bracket wasn’t settled till the ultimate day of the season, however Aaron Gordon was adamant: The Nuggets aren’t operating from anybody. The ahead additionally frowned upon groups tanking their video games for postseason profit.

“That is at all times been so complicated to me, truly,” Gordon mentioned. “I am undecided if that is truly a factor within the NBA or that is like a conspiracy … the place individuals are like attempting to strategically win and lose to allow them to like jockey up and down relying on matchups. I am certain it’s.

“My factor is simply line them up and knock them down. And that is how I’ve at all times been. I believe when you’re ducking smoke, the sport gods come again to chew you within the a**.”

Aaron Gordon’s Nuggets went winless in opposition to Minnesota in the course of the common season after falling to the Wolves in seven video games within the second spherical of final 12 months’s playoffs.

Now, the Nuggets are set to face the LA Clippers within the first spherical, whereas the Timberwolves will tackle the LA Lakers.

Aaron Gordon anticipated to be Nuggets’ essential defender on Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard put collectively a powerful common season, posting averages of 21.5 factors, 5.9 rebounds and three.1 assists over 37 video games. In his three matchups in opposition to Denver, he logged 21.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg and three.3 apg.

The defensive task of slowing Leonard will largely fall to Aaron Gordon, who, in accordance with Tony Jones of The Athletic, is constructed for the problem.

“Count on to see a ton of Aaron Gordon as Leonard’s major defender,” Jones wrote. “Gordon is the one Denver participant with the size, athleticism, self-discipline and power to protect Leonard, and in addition take care of his means to be cerebral with shot fakes within the lane.”

The common season sequence between Denver and LA was break up 2-2, however the Nuggets maintain homecourt benefit going into Spherical 1 because the West’s No. 4 seed.