The Denver Nuggets continue to sink amid a poor start to the season. The Mile-High City doesn’t resemble anything similar to how it looked a season ago. Apart from their struggle to win games, they also have injury woes. Days after Jamal Murray sustained a head injury, leaving him out of the mix due to concussion protocol, the team suffered yet another injury blow. Minutes into the Toronto Raptors challenge, Aaron Gordon found himself on the wrong side of the table.

Around the 7:44 mark in the first quarter, Gordon exited the court and didn’t return for the rest of the game. Notably, the team listed him as Questionable for tonight’s game, citing a right knee contusion and right calf inflammation. Most probably, the 29-year-old must have aggravated his injuries in the initial few minutes. Later, the team announced the star wouldn’t return for the rest of the game, reasoning a calf strain.

Nevertheless, the team managed to edge past a close 121-119 win over the Raptors even after losing Aaron Gordon in the first half. Peyton Watson stepped in for the star forward, punched in 31 minutes, and dropped an efficient 16 points. On the other hand, Russell Westbrook put in a promising effort in Jamal Murray’s absence, scoring 21 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists, giving flashes of his triple-double era.

And, of course, Nikola Jokić anchored the side with yet another triple-double, dropping 28-12-12. The Raptors won the first three quarters, leading the Nuggets, thanks to Grady Dick and Jakob Poeltl for putting together 50 points. As usual, the Nuggets came alive with a fourth-quarter surge. Russ and Jokic pushed in crucial buckets to seal the deal. Despite the hard-fought win, fans still seemed worried about Gordon’s exit.

Amid Aaron Gordon’s injury, fans pray for on-the-brink Nuggets

There are multiple ways to criticize the Nuggets for their poor run and injuries, but a fan had a superstitious reason behind the mess. They wrote, “Russ luck is so bad dude.” However, the former MVP proved the fans wrong, lighting up impressive performances. On the other hand, Westbrook pretty much seemed like a liability in the initial few games with poor shooting form. Even after two 20-point outings, the star has an underwhelming 23.2% FG. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that Russ isn’t the reason for Gordon’s injury.

Another fan put in all the efforts to theorize the reason behind the request for injuries, writing, “Can’t afford injuries, especially so early in the season. The team seems to play kind of wild and that is guaranteed to lead to injuries. Doesn’t that drunk Malone have a plan for the games, or he just letting them run wild.”

 While this fan points a finger at Coach Malone, on the other hand, the coach himself isn’t pleased with the team. After the first few losses, he said, “I mentioned pregame that my biggest concerns: Can we take care of the ball and keep them out of transition? And we failed miserably in that regard.”

While a section of fans prayed for a speedy recovery, some fans spoke too soon. A fan wrote, “Nuggets are washed.” Well, the team struggled to get a lead throughout the game. It certainly looked like they were washed. However, two former MVPs saved the night for the team. What do you make of the Nuggets’ injury situation? Will it affect their early regular season run? Let us know in the comments.