Gordon’s season is likely finished
Forward left the NBA campus due to strained left hamstring
The season appears to be over for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon.
Gordon left the NBA campus Thursday due to a strained left hamstring injury he sustained earlier this month, according to a team official.
Gordon has missed all four of the Magic’s first-round playoff games against the Milwaukee Bucks and hasn’t played since sustaining the injury Aug. 5 against the Toronto Raptors.
With the Magic facing a 3-1 series deficit, one more loss will end their season so it could be that Gordon officially misses just one more game. If the Magic extend the series, Gordon’s return is unlikely.
In that seeding game against the Raptors, Gordon was fouled early in the third quarter by Raptors guard Kyle Lowry on a drive to the basket and landed awkwardly on the floor. Gordon almost immediately grabbed the back of his left leg.
Lowry, who had grabbed Gordon’s arm while Gordon was in the air, was given a flagrant one foul on the play after a review by the officiating crew.
Gordon made one of two ensuing freethrow attempts. He stayed in the game and later scored on a power spin move from the low block. It’s unclear if that move contributed to the hamstring tightness, but Gordon left the game at the 8:48 mark – 46 seconds after he was fouled by Lowry. Gordon had posted nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks to that point.
Gordon felt good about the progress he was making with the injury and at one point he felt like he would be ready to play in the series opener against the Bucks.
Obviously, that didn’t happen, and Gordon accepted a disappointing close to the season.
Magic coach Steve Clifford had said that while Gordon’s injury was improving, the forward just wasn’t able to play at full speed. In addition, the Magic didn’t want to push Gordon too much and risk further injury.
“He just can’t run — sprint — up and down the court,” Clifford said earlier this week. “And then the other concern is because of the nature of the injury the one thing we’re being very careful with is we don’t want something to happen where he compensates and injures something else or ends up with a significant injury.”
Gordon averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game — all above his career marks — during the 62 regularseason games in which he played.