Gordon returns vs. Mavs after 9-game absence
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon returned Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks after missing the past nine games with a calf strain.
Gordon will be under a minutes restriction, according to The Denver Post's Bennett Durando.
The 29-year-old also missed 10 contests in November due to the same injury. He's been sidelined for 20 total games this season, with the Nuggets going 12-8 without him in the lineup.
Gordon is averaging 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists this campaign.
Denver turned to a smaller lineup while Gordon recovered, shifting Michael Porter Jr. down and starting Russell Westbrook alongside Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Nikola Jokic. Westbrook averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals as a starter. He and Jokic became the first teammates to record a triple-double in the same game multiple times in a season.
The Nuggets rank fourth in the Western Conference with a 22-15 record.