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Aaron Gordon still settling in, displaying value despite first loss with Denver Nuggets

DENVER – It took two weeks and eight games, but the Nuggets lost with Aaron Gordon on the court.

Gordon made his Nuggets debut in the March 28 victory over Atlanta, and the Nuggets won the next seven before the Celtics left Ball Arena with a 105-87 win Sunday.

“I think when he got here, he fully understood I’m coming to a really good team that’s accomplished a lot of things I want to be a part of,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before Sunday’s game. “He’s come in with the mindset of trying to fit in and blend in. He didn’t come in with his chest sticking out, saying, ‘Hey, I’m Aaron Gordon, and I want to show everybody what I can do.’ I think that’s been a really important part of us playing so well since he’s gotten here.”

The Nuggets’ big acquisition at the trade deadline took just five shots against Boston, scoring seven points. He added seven rebounds, two assists and a block, while guarding Boston’s leading scorer Jayson Tatum for a chunk of his 31 minutes of playing time. Gordon scored 13 or more points in three of his first four games as a Nugget but has reached double figures just once in the four games since.

“He’s a guy that should be shooting the ball more than five times, but the way he’s getting his shots might be a little different than it’s been in Orlando. So, he’s probably still getting used to some of those spot-up 3s,” Michael Porter Jr. said before offering his new teammate some advice. “That’s the shots you’re going to get, so don’t pass those up. You know what I mean?”

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While the wins were flowing in for Gordon’s first seven games in Denver, Jokic said the team is still processing some of the changes. Monte Morris, typically the leader of the second unit, wasn’t healthy when Gordon arrived, and the Nuggets have played without starting point guard Jamal Murray for the last four games, complicating Gordon’s integration on a team that is rapidly trying to get ready for a playoff run.

“He is still trying,” Jokic said of the process, noting the changes to the rotation.

“I think we all are trying to play and be the best we can be, and Aaron Gordon is just a guy who is trying still to fit in.”

While his fit in Denver likely hasn’t reached its final form during a hectic stretch of the season, Gordon appears to have left a strong impression on his coach and teammates through a 7-1 start.

“He’s probably still integrating himself, but it’s been good for the most part. We just had a bad game tonight. We’ll get right back on track,” Porter said. “He’s blending (in) super well.”

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