DALLAS — Aaron Gordon is available in Dallas to make his return from a calf strain that sidelined him for nine games, the Nuggets announced Sunday. Gordon will be on a minutes restriction against the Mavericks, a league source told The Denver Post.
Denver’s starting power forward has missed 20 games this season with the same injury, which has caused two separate prolonged absences.
Gordon, 29, is averaging 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game when he plays. He’s also shooting 44% from the 3-point line, a critical development for the Nuggets as teams often sag off him on the perimeter.
Denver has used Michael Porter Jr. at the four with Gordon out during the most recent stretch, opening a spot for Russell Westbrook to start. The team is 12-4 when he starts this season, but Michael Malone did not show his hand as to how Gordon’s return will impact Westbrook’s role going forward.
“We’ll figure that out when we get healthy. … We’ll evaluate as a staff when we are fully healthy what lineup gives us the best chance to go out there and win games at a high level,” Malone said Sunday. “I like how we’re playing right now. Our defense is much improved. Our 3-point defense is much improved. But whether we continue to bring Russ off the bench when we’re healthy or he starts, those are discussions we’ll continue to have internally.”
Jamal Murray, who left Denver’s game on Friday after feeling soreness in his left knee, is also available against the Mavericks. The star guard missed the 2021-22 season with a torn ACL in the same knee.
“It’s unfortunate. With his injury, and the past injury, that’s just something that’s going to pop up every once in a while,” Malone said. “And obviously this month of January, as we all know, is a very dense game schedule. Seventeen games, and I don’t think we have two days in between games until after the All-Star break. So we just have to continue to talk with Jamal, talk with the training staff, to see how he’s feeling. But as of this morning, I think he’s trending in the right direction.”
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