Aaron Gordon‘s return to the Denver Nuggets lineup has rejuvenated the team and elevated them to a new level. He has been dealing with a calf injury since early November.

Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets' typical starting power forward, has come off the bench in five consecutive appearances since returning from his second calf strain of the season. Denver has won all five games since,

Aaron Gordon has been key to an improved Nuggets bench. Even when he returns to the starting lineup, Denver will need more of him when Nikola Jokic is off the court.

Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season, Aaron Gordon was nearly perfect from the floor and the Denver Nuggets beat Philadelphia 144-109, extending the 76ers' losing streak to seven games.

Joel Embiid missed another matchup in Denver, taking away any drama on the first night of the NBA's Rivalry Week. Embiid hasn't played in Denver since 2019.

Nikola Jokic logged (another) triple-double in just three quarters with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 30 minutes. Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets extended the blowout, the fourth straight game he hasn’t had to reenter the contest.