Aaron Gordon Credits Two Factors With Denver Nuggets' Game-Winning Shot

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated May 6, 2025 9:25 PM ET

Aaron Gordon is no stranger to being the playoff hero. In the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, his last-second dunk won Game 4 for the Denver Nuggets, and in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City on Monday night, he iced the game with a last-second 3-pointer.

Gordon is known for his dunking more than anything else, although he has quietly put in the work to become a solid shooter, and he hit the biggest shot of his life from behind the arc.

After the game, he credited two factors with his second game-winner.

Before this season, Gordon had never shot above 35 percent from deep. This season, he made an impressive 43.6 percent of his triples, and took 3.4 per game, more than his career average.

He credits the offseason work he put in with his ability to hit shots in the clutch, shots he wouldn't have even attempted in years prior.

"I've worked on my jumper a lot throughout the years, you guys have seen a maturation of it," said Gordon. "So it's nice to have it all culminate in a game winner. But it really comes down to my teammates, like Russ, making a great play and finding me in transition and in rhythm, on time, on target. So it helps when you have a Hall of Fame passer passing to you. But we just didn't wanna miss the moment. We didn't wanna miss the opportunity."

O course, Russell Westbrook is one of the best passers ever and has led the league in assists three times, so his ability to look for the open man rather than just drive against Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to take a contested layup also can't be overlooked.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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