It's becoming increasingly unlikely that Aaron Gordon suits up for Sunday's do-or-die showdown against Oklahoma City.
The Denver Nuggets forward has been dealing with a left hamstring strain, and according to ESPN's Shams Charania, will need several weeks to recover from the injury, making it physically improbable for him to be able to play in Game 7 against the Thunder.
Charania added that Gordon has been searching for ways to play in Sunday's game, and the Nuggets have still gone through practices and game-planning as though the forward would be able to suit up, but the injury may be too major.
Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters on Sunday that a collective decision will be made after pre-game warmup.
"If Aaron can go, he'll go," Adelman said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "That's who he is. There's a real toughness there. Sometimes being really, really tough and being hurt can get in the way."
Gordon grabbed his hamstring late in Thursday's Game 6 win and said in the locker room afterward that his hamstring felt “OK.” He added he was going to “start the recovery process now.”
On Saturday, Nuggets head coach David Adelman explained that Gordon is still a game-time decision.
“I’m sure the hoops (to jump through) are probably smaller because the game’s coming so quickly,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman explained after the workout at Ball Arena. “It’s not a thing where he has three weeks to go through it. So it will be probably his comfortability, along with the medical staff’s advice on what he can and can’t do.
"If they say he’s available, he will start.”
Adelman didn't know the grade of Gordon's strain. He said that Gordon was acting just like himself at practice.
The 29-year-old Gordon has come up big in the postseason, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. He had a game-winning dunk in Game 4 as Denver beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round.
The Nuggets and Thunder square off for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, with the winner set to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Final.
-- With files from the Associated Press
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