Aaron Gordon has two game-winners in as many playoff rounds for the Denver Nuggets this year.
The former Arizona forward’s latest late-game heroics came Monday night in the Denver Nuggets’ 121-119 win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Gordon made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left after Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren missed a free throw to potentially put the Thunder ahead 120-118. Nuggets guard Christian Braun grabbed the missed free-throw, hit guard Russell Westbrook with an outlet pass and then kicked it out to a trailing Gordon for a corner 3-pointer to take a 121-119 lead — and a 1-0 advantage in the series.
Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (27) and Aaron Gordon, center right, celebrate after Gordon sunk a basket late in the second half that sealed the team’s win in Game 1 of an NBA second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City.
After the game, Gordon brought his nephews, 6-year-old Zayne and 3-year-old Brody, to the postgame press conference. Gordon’s nephews are the sons of his brother, Drew, who died in a car accident last year. Drew Gordon played basketball at UCLA and New Mexico before his professional career. Aaron Gordon changed his jersey number from No. 50 to No. 32, the number Drew Gordon wore.
Gordon, who helped the Nuggets win the NBA championship two years ago, is having a breakout season from beyond the arc. His 3-point percentage has improved from 29% last season to 43.6% this season.
Gordon’s playoff run is on the list of several memorable NBA playoff moments that feature a former Wildcat, which also includes Andre Iguodala’s blocked shot by LeBron James in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors to win the championship and become the first team in history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
Here are five more memorable moments, in chronological order:
The Chicago Bulls' Steve Kerr celebrates after the Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 90-86 in Game 6 to win the NBA championship on June 13, 1997, in Chicago. Kerr hit a shot with five seconds left that put the Bulls ahead for good in the game.
‘Well, I guess I gotta bail Michael out again’
What: NBA Finals, Utah Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls
When: 1997
What went down: In Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, the Chicago Bulls were down to one possession with 28 seconds left. Win, and the series is over; lose, it’s going to a Game 7 in Salt Lake City. Guarded by Byron Russell, Bulls legend Michael Jordan passed the ball to Kerr at the top of the key for a game-winning mid-range shot.
Kerr’s shot propelled the Bulls to their fifth championship and continued the Jordan-led dynasty in Chicago. It also led to one of the most memorable speeches at an NBA championship parade.
Said Kerr, to thousands of Bulls fans at the parade in Chicago: “When we called timeout with 25 seconds to go, we went into the huddle and Phil (Jackson) told Michael, ‘Michael, I want you to take the last shot.’ Michael told Phil, ‘You know, Phil, I don’t really feel comfortable in these situations, so maybe we ought to go in another direction. Why don’t we go to Steve?’ So I thought to myself, ‘Well, I guess I gotta bail Michael out again.’ The shot went in, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, center, and teammates Sean Elliott, right, and Malik Rose celebrate in the locker room after winning the NBA championship in 1999.
Memorial Day Miracle
What: NBA Western Conference Finals, Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs
When: 1999
What went down: After former UA star point guard Damon Stoudamire knocked down a pair of free throws, Portland took an 85-83 lead with 12 seconds left. The Spurs advanced the ball with a timeout, and coming out of the timeout break, Spurs guard Mario Elie inbounded the ball to ex-Wildcat Sean Elliott, who caught the pass near the sideline and barely stayed inbounds for a go-ahead 3-pointer over Trail Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace.
In front of 35,260 fans at the Alamodome, the Spurs beat Portland on Memorial Day. San Antonio went on to win the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship — the first of five championships for the Gregg Popovich era.
Dallas Mavericks' Jason Terry answers a question during a news conference after Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, June 12, 2011, in Miami. The Mavericks won 105-95 to win the series.
‘Jet’ helps Mavericks capture 1st title
What: NBA Finals, Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks
When: 2011
What went down: En route to an NBA championship, the Dallas Mavericks dethroned and swept the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Lakers and took down the then-newly formed Miami Heat team led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — also known as “The Heatles.”
Two seasons after former Arizona guard Jason Terry was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, he came off the bench and averaged 18 points in 32.5 minutes per game. Terry had 21 points and six assists in Game 5 against Miami, becoming the first bench player in the NBA Finals since Michael Cooper in 1987 to record at least 20 points and five assists as a reserve. In the series-clinching game, Terry had a game-high 27 points in a 105-95 win over the Heat in Miami.
Suns center Deandre Ayton, right, scores over Clippers center Ivica Zubac in the final second of an NBA Western Conference finals game on a "Valley-oop."
Valley-oop
What: NBA Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns
When: 2021
What went down: With 0.9 seconds left in the game, the Clippers led the Suns 103-102 until forward Jae Crowder, from the corner of the court, lobbed an inbounds pass to former Arizona big man and No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton for an alley-oop slam over Clippers center Ivica Zubac and left 0.7 seconds on the clock.
Phoenix head coach Monty Williams said Crowder “put it where only DA could get it.”
“It was great awareness by him,” Williams said.
Known as the “Valley-oop,” one of the most memorable plays in Suns history put Phoenix ahead 2-0 in the series.
The Suns advanced to the NBA Finals, but fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Two years later, Ayton was part of a multi-team trade that sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers. Ayton has averaged 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game with Portland in the last two seasons.
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, center, runs off the court with forward Michael Porter Jr., left, and forward Peyton Watson after scoring the winning basket during the second half in Game 4 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif.
Gordon’s buzzer-beating dunk a playoff first
What: NBA Western Conference First Round, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets
When: 2025
What went down: The Clippers held a 2-1 series lead over Denver and were tied with the Nuggets, 99-99, with eight seconds left in Game 4. Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic, guarded by Zubac, air-balled a fadeaway 3-pointer, but Gordon high-pointed the miss for a put-back dunk at the buzzer for the first-ever buzzer-beating dunk in the NBA playoffs.
“That’s a crazy game, man,” Gordon said on TNT after the game. “That was tough.”
Gordon’s dunk was the first of two game-winners in the playoffs this year.
