Aaron Gordon was granted indefinite time away from the team to recover after being bit by a dog on Christmas leaving him with lacerations on his face and shooting hand that led to 21 stitches.
He was back practicing with the team Sunday and told reporters he hopes to play Monday when the Nuggets face the Charlotte Hornets.
“I’ve played with stitches in my hand before, so that’s not new to me,” Gordon said, via the Associated Press, adding, “I don’t really care about the stitches on my face. We’re not running a pageant here.”
He also talked about the incident for the first time. He was bitten by his 4-year-old pet Rottweiler, who he adopted at six months, but due to the demands of the NBA travel schedule Gordon’s family members had been taking care of the dog more and Gordon himself had been around him less. On Christmas, Gordon said he “probably had a little too much eggnog” and was just roughhousing with his dog when the pet got a little too excited.
“He’s a good boy. He’s a good dog...” Gordon said to reporters. “Very attached. Very sweet. Very strong. Great dog.”
Gordon has averaged 13.6 points on 52.2% shooting plus 6.9 rebounds a game this season, all while playing solid defense. He remains critical to the Nuggets’ plans to repeat as NBA champions.
