The Denver Nuggets will have to play into the new year with another starter sidelined by injury.
Versatile forward Aaron Gordon has sustained a right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, the team announced Sunday (November 23).
Gordon's injury comes just over a week after the Nuggets announced that guard Christian Braun would miss at least six weeks with a sprained left ankle.
Gordon exited Friday's 112-109 win over the Houston Rockets just three minutes into the game and did not return. He sat out Saturday's 128-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has sustained a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5EzBhyhxqQ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 23, 2025
With
Gordon and Braun out, Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones started Saturday, with Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. playing big minutes off the bench.
Gordon had been red-hot to start the season. In addition to his reliable defence, Gordon is averaging 18.8 points - on pace for a career high - while shooting 53.2% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range.
The focus of the Nuggets' offseason was to improve the depth around Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, signing Brown, Hardaway and backup center Jonas Valanciunas.
Denver also traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson, who is 11 for 19 from 3-point range in his last four games after a disappointing start.
The Nuggets are scheduled to play several key Western Conference games before the calendar turns to 2026, including a Dec. 20 rematch against the Rockets and a Christmas Day spotlight game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gordon and Braun are also expected to miss any remaining games for the NBA Cup, which concludes on Dec. 16.
The Nuggets (12-4) enter Sunday in second place in the West, but they are just two games ahead of seventh-place Minnesota.
Denver acquired Gordon midway through the 2020-21 season, and he played a vital role in the Nuggets' 2023 NBA title.
Gordon, 30, has averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 733 career games.
