The Denver Nuggets lost the plot in the second half of an eventual 134-114 loss against the Golden State Warriors, and no other play encapsulated that better than Aaron Gordon racking up two technical fouls in quick succession. With the Warriors leading by 16 points, 107-91, the Nuggets knew that every possession matters from that point forward. Alas, they would turn the ball over, with Christian Braun being whistled for an illegal screen.
This infuriated Gordon beyond belief. He made the officials know that he did not agree with the foul they called on Braun, and the Nuggets forward vehemently protested, incurring a technical foul. Not even close to being done, Gordon then pointed towards an official as a way of expressing his frustrations. This would then net him his second technical, ending his night prematurely in a matter of seconds with an ejection.
Gordon was already having a rough outing prior to getting himself ejected. In just 25 minutes of play, the Nuggets forward put up just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. Considering how the Nuggets' depth isn't the best to begin with, losing Gordon just proved to be the nail in the coffin of a disastrous night for Denver.
The Nuggets were already without Cameron Johnson and Julian Strawther heading into the night, so Gordon was expected to take on a bigger scoring role to lighten Nikola Jokic and Murray's burden. Alas, Gordon simply has not shot the ball well over the past two games, combining to shoot 4-of-18 during that span.
There is legitimate concern regarding the Nuggets' contending viability moving forward. Their offense is sputtering, their defense is all out of sorts, and nights like this from Gordon aren't going to help whatsoever. The fact that the Nuggets had to overturn a 23-point deficit to earn their first win back on Saturday is a red flag as well.
Nonetheless, it is still early in the season, and the Nuggets will look to earn their second win of the campaign when they take on the Pelicans on Wednesday night.