Aaron Gordon keeps it real after Nuggets get “smoked” in Game 2 - “It’s not the referees”

Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets lost by 43 points to the OKC Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. Gordon spoke to the media after the game and was unflinching in his assessment of the loss.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Nuggets forward emphasized that a 40-point loss indicated the team's shortcomings on the night. He went further to shut down excuses about the officiating, instead calling on the Nuggets to bounce back from the loss.

“In a game you get smoked by 40, it’s not the referees, it's not the officiating. So we got to forget about that in the first place. We just need to continue to execute. Be sharp. Be strong.”

Aaron Gordon, fresh off his game-winning performance in Game 1, had a quiet night on Wednesday. He recorded 10 points, five rebounds and a single assist as the Nuggets lost 149-106.

OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated from the start to when he checked out at the end of the third quarter. He recorded a game-high 34 points and eight assists, while shooting 11-of-13 from the field and all of his 11 free throws.

The Thunder set a playoff record for most points scored in a half with 87 points in the first half. This surpassed the record set by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors in 2017.

Nuggets' reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had a quiet game by his standards. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds and fouled out late in the third quarter.

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Aaron Gordon comes to teammate Nikola Jokic's defense

Aaron Gordon also had his say on Nikola Jokic's foul trouble in the Game 2 loss. Gordon felt that Jokic was being fouled by the Thunder players, which went unnoticed by the referees.

“If they're going to let 'em push 'em and shove 'em or two hands on 'em, root 'em out, the knee, you got elbows and all types of stuff they're doing to 'em, that's not necessarily legal," Aaron Gordon said per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "Jok got to play through it if they're not going to call it, they're not going to call it. But they're fouling the guy.

“They're calling the second foul almost every time. They're fouling Joker first and then Jok is reactionary and they do get the second foul a lot of the times. But they're fouling him, point blank, period throughout the game."

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic - Source: Imagn

The Nuggets will hope to make amends quickly as the series moves to Denver, tied 1-1, and tip-off is slated for Friday at the Ball Arena at 9:00 p.m.