The 2025 NBA season started this week, and one of the big games during opening week was the Denver Nuggets' trip to San Francisco to play the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won the game in overtime, 137-131, but they had to overcome a monster performance from Aaron Gordon, who scored 50 points in a homecoming to the Bay Area.
Gordon was in the zone against the Warriors, scoring 50 points on 17/21 shooting from the field and 10/11 from the three-point line. It was an incredibly efficient night from the San Jose native. After the game, Gordon was asked about his career game, and he shouted out to the DJ for helping put him in the zone.
“The DJ was playing slaps. So I'm vibing the whole game. He's playing just the straight Bay that I grew up with. Just like Hyphy music. So I was just out getting Hyphy.”
The Warriors also noticed the game. After the Warriors' win, Steph Curry told reporters that Gordon was “ridiculous” in the game.
“Whatever he did this summer, it worked,” added Curry.
Curry scored 42 points, including 28 in the second half and the game-tying three with 21 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Gordon became just the sixth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in a season opener. The others who accomplished the feat were Michael Jordan (twice), Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis.
The three-point shooting is the most surprising development in Gordon's game. He shot 32.3 percent from behind the arc over his first 10 seasons, including 29.0 percent during the 2023-24 campaign.
Gordon's three-point shooting improved massively last season. He shot a career-high 43.6 percent from three on 3.4 attempts per game.
Aaron Gordon's shooting prowess is the story of this game for the Nuggets because while he is not going to maintain a 90.9% percentage from behind the arc all year, the fact that he improved that much should prove that the Nuggets are more than capable of making a run to the NBA Finals once again this year.
