OKLAHOMA CITY — Aaron Gordon was the personification of his team’s postseason, standing resolute at the top of the key, smiling even while he drained warm-up shots. The Nuggets willed themselves to this Game 7, and Gordon was going to will himself to play in it on one leg.
Resilience and toughness were not enough to overcome a team 18 wins better than Denver. Maybe for six games. Not a seventh.
With a 125-93 loss to an emergent Oklahoma City Thunder juggernaut on Sunday, the Nuggets’ 2024-25 season ended at the same juncture as last year: Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.