Aaron Gordon called it the best in-game dunk he’s ever had.
Jamal Murray considered it the “dunk of the year”.
Outside of Gordon, Nikola Jokic had the best vantage point for the thunderous, soul-ripping jam on Landry Shamet late Sunday night against Phoenix.
“I was open,” Jokic said deadpan.
Leading 124-123 with 24 seconds left, Gordon picked up his 12th rebound of the night and gained momentum on the other side of the floor. As Gordon turned to the basket, he saw the two-on-one coming. A rebound pass to Jokic would have been enough, helping to protect his triple-double of 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists. But Gordon, a wiser player now than he ever was, kept charging.
“You have to play this little game of cat and mouse,” Gordon said.
As Gordon read the defender, he was committed to his launch, regardless of the bodily risk.
“Alright, I’ll just take it off,” he said.
What he left in his wake was Shamet, who fell to the ground, and a shocked Suns team that couldn’t match Gordon’s raw athleticism. The soaring dunk, Gordon’s seventh of the night, drew a roar from Ball Arena that rivaled the decibels of a playoff game.
“The roof just came down,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
When the whistle sounded, alleging an accusation, Gordon knew it wouldn’t hold. He said he felt how Shamet’s body had bothered him and knew an exam would give an and-1. Murray’s mind flashed back to his ruthless dunk on DJ Wilson who had been called a foul several seasons ago.
“It wasn’t like I was going through it,” Gordon said. “I was going around in circles.”
Rarely at a loss for words, Malone didn’t know how to describe the effect this had on his team.
“Shit,” he said. “I’m just glad they looked into it.”
It was the culmination of a performance full of them. That dunk, which helped seal the gripping 128-125 overtime victory over the Suns, eclipsed a previous driveway, where Gordon stood up as if he was back in the dunk contest battling the laws of gravity. In some photos captured at the time, he almost was. And that meant nothing about either of his two reverse finishes.
Following last year’s first-round playoff ouster against Golden State, Gordon publicly pledged to refocus and increase his basketball IQ. According to Jokic, arguably the smartest player in the NBA right now, he did.
“He’s slowing down, to be honest,” Jokic said. On the job, even when he needs to intimidate someone, he does it a little slower. I like it much more. You can see, high post, low post, he reads defense. Even when he dodges, he reads where the pass may come from.
ALL ANGLES OF AARON GORDON’S RIDICULOUS DUNK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE 🎬🤯 pic.twitter.com/bFEzWMvRHD
-NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2022
Gordon finished the night with 28 points on 11 shooting on 18 and 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive side. His defense was tenacious and physical, his attack was imposing and overwhelming. On a night when Jokic netted another 40-point triple-double and Murray turned into a flamethrower in the fourth quarter, Gordon’s aerial stunts remained the indelible moment. The three combined for Denver’s fourth straight win and seventh in the team’s last eight games.
As bizarre as that dunk was, no streak showcased its contributions better than a vital block on DeAndre Ayton, followed by a hustle play to keep the ball from going out of bounds, resulting in a layup. inverted timely with 3:30 left in overtime. At every level of the game, Gordon was there.
It was an all-encompassing show that encapsulated why Malone pitched his name earlier this week as a potential All-Star.
“He’s the soul of this team, if that makes sense,” said Jokic, the reigning two-time MVP. There was nothing, Jokic said, Gordon couldn’t do on the floor.
Last season, the Nuggets asked way too much of him, serving as Jokic’s main sidekick while taking on key defensive assignments every night. Now, not only does he have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown to manage smaller guards, but he has a plethora of offensive options that can ease his playing burden.
All he has to do is play within himself, which he’s done expertly so far this season.
“He did everything tonight,” Malone said.
Late Sunday night, as Gordon was speaking to reporters, Jokic walked into the post-match press conference and told him his time was up. Everything Gordon needed to say, about his dunk, his dominance and Denver’s burgeoning championship potential, had already been said.
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