NBA playoffs 2026: Nuggets, suddenly healthy, show Timberwolves and the West they're going to be a tough out
Nuggets starters Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson are all back after missing significant time during the regular season. And a loaded West bracket is on notice.
DENVER — Ten minutes into Saturday’s playoff opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets were in a bad spot. Minnesota had controlled the first quarter on the road, forcing tough shots and miscues while limiting three-time MVP Nikola Jokić to three points and three turnovers. And Aaron Gordon — the 6-foot-8 spark plug who was a difference-maker in Denver’s 2023 championship run — was suddenly unavailable.
Gordon picked up his third foul while swinging his elbows and displacing Mike Conley on a post-up. Head coach David Adelman protested in frustration and picked up a technical foul. The Nuggets went into the second quarter in a 33-23 hole and Gordon relegated to the bench.
It was a make-or-break moment early in the game and the series that could have spiraled out of control. Nuggets lean on shorthanded experience It was also a familiar spot for these Nuggets, whose 2025-26 season has been plagued by a litany of injuries to key players. Gordon (46 missed games), Christian Braun (38), Cameron Johnson (28) and Jokić (17) all faced extended absences throughout the season.
This is a team that battled to the No. 3 seed in a loaded West despite those absences and learned how to play with — or without — each other depending on who was in the lineup on any given night. So Gordon going to bench in early foul trouble?
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