Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon takes responsibility for Game 3 loss against Warriors

The Aaron Gordon who attacked the paint, swarmed on defense and competed Thursday night wasn’t the same guy who no-showed in Games 1 and 2 in Golden State.

This Gordon competed, giving the Nuggets an essential 18-point, 12-rebound boost, even if it came in a debilitating, 118-113 loss that shoved his team to the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs.

But in a lopsided series such as this, one in which the Warriors have come at the Nuggets in droves, there was a palpable and emotional relief that, at minimum, Denver fought.

The first two games were so overwhelming and exposed so many mismatches that Thursday was about playing with the requisite resolve. That’s how thorough and dominant the Warriors have been through three games. The Nuggets knew the margin for error was almost non-existent, as made clear by a mistake-filled fourth quarter.

At the heart of the Nuggets’ pulse was Gordon, who, according to DeMarcus Cousins, had been beating himself up over his play in the first two games of the series.

“He’s been hard on himself these past couple of days,” Cousins said.

Gordon, in an introspective and emotional postgame news conference, took responsibility for not making the impact he expected of himself.

While he admitted his contributions Thursday were a “little too late,” he conceded he did feel a “little more normal.”

In the third quarter, when the Nuggets played their most sound 12 minutes of the series and authored a 30-18 advantage that gave them a fighting chance in the fourth, Gordon was at the heart of it. He lived in the paint, where his teammates and coaches have implored him to camp out, and was a disruptor on defense.

While not making the same impact offensively he expected of himself, Nuggets coaches told him to create windows away from the ball. On one pin-down screen, he freed up Will Barton for an open corner 3-pointer. After that, he asserted his physicality inside.

It was the ideal Gordon, and the one they’ll need if they have any designs on forcing a Game 5 back in San Francisco.

“That’s the Aaron Gordon that we need every night,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

As the Nuggets’ injuries forced Gordon up the depth chart, the spotlight became brighter, with more offensive responsibilities foisted on his shoulders. Nikola Jokic, despite his 37-point, 18-rebound monster showing in Game 3, can’t do it all.

“When it comes to this kind of thing, the first person I look at is in the mirror, every single time,” Gordon said. “Every night, every loss.”

The mistakes, he said, stick with him, and the thoughtful Gordon said he asks himself what he could’ve done differently.

In order to turn things around and make a positive imprint on the series, Gordon said Malone took him aside several times in recent days and reaffirmed how he needed him to play. In addition, Gordon said his teammates had his back the entire time.

“I give my heart and soul to this game, I always have since I was a little kid,” Gordon said. “I got a great group of guys around me. We have a great team here.”

The Nuggets’ support system, Gordon said, was indicative of the culture that’s been established in Denver.

“I love these guys,” he said.

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