The Denver Nuggets will be without a crucial piece for the foreseeable future as Aaron Gordon has been sidelined after suffering a dog bite on his face and shooting hand during Christmas. Gordon has received 21 stitches and has no timetable for a return right now.
“Aaron Gordon suffered serious dog bites to his face and his shooting right hand on Monday — requiring 21 stitches, sources say. It will take some time to heal, with no timetable yet.”
The Nuggets also released a statement about Gordon, saying that the forward is in good spirits.
“Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon suffered lacerations to his face and hand resulting from a dog bite on December 25th. Aaron is in good condition and will remain away from the team while he recovers. Additional updates will be provided as necessary.”
Gordon was averaging 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season. He is the primary defender on the Nuggets roster, with his absence leaving a gaping hole in their frontline. This is a major loss for the team, who will hope Gordon can return relatively soon from this. However, dog bites to this extent are rarely minor and will take a while to heal. The fact his shooting hand was also bitten could be a problem, as dog bites can often hit nerves which would further extend Gordon’s time on the sidelines.
Any information on the nature of the injury outside of what the Nuggets and Charania have revealed is speculation. It’s unclear if Gordon’s dog was responsible for the attack or if it was someone else’s. Christmas is a time that you celebrate with the family, so it seems Gordon’s Christmas was negatively affected by this situation.
There have been a series of uncommon off-court injuries this season, including C.J. McCollum suffering a collapsed lung and Kelly Oubre Jr. suffering broken ribs due to a car accident.
The Nuggets Hoping To Remain Undefeated Without Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon is one of the most integral pieces behind the success of this Nuggets roster, arguably being their third-best player during their championship run. But the Nuggets have shown they can tolerate absences from him, as seen earlier this season.
Gordon missed four games in late November and early December with a heel strain, all games that the Nuggets won. They’re 4-0 without Gordon this season and need to maintain a strong pace in his absence to keep off the rising contenders in the West. Gordon did return earlier than expected from his heel strain, so maybe this time off will allow him to come back to the court 100%.
The Nuggets are 22-10 and sit second in the Western Conference. Their next game comes at home against the streaking Memphis Grizzlies, who are yet to lose a game since the return of Ja Morant.
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