Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon had surgery on an injured right knee near the beginning of the season, but recently he’s gotten back to his old form of being one of the Rockets’ most productive shooters.
During the Rockets’ loss Wednesday to the Portland Trail Blazers, Gordon shot 46.2% from the 3-point line and scored 20 points.
His solid performance also included him recording his 1,500th 3-pointer, an achievement that put him among some of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters. According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Gordon is the sixth-fastest player in league history to total 1,500 3-pointers.
Steph Curry is the fastest with 477 games, and the rest of the top five is Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Paul George and James Harden.
The @HoustonRockets Eric Gordon made his 1,500th career 3-pointer last night. Only five players in NBA history have reached that mark in fewer games played:
477 – Stephen Curry
517 – Klay Thompson
548 – Damian Lillard
621 – Paul George
643 – James Harden
645 – Gordon pic.twitter.com/NrK5CB05iP— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 16, 2020
With Gordon in his 12th season, he is one of 14 active players who have made at least 1,500 career 3-pointers. He ranks 13th among active players in made 3-pointers.
Gordon returned from rehabbing his knee injury Dec. 29, when the Rockets played the New Orleans Pelicans. According to The Athletic’s Alykhan Bijani, Gordon is scoring 17.3 points per game and shooting 39.1% on 3-pointers in the seven games he’s played since returning from injury.
Since returning from right knee arthroscopy, Eric Gordon is averaging 17.3 points per game on 40.0% shooting (39.1% 3-pointers) in the past seven games after averaging 10.9 points per game on 30.9% shooting (28.4% 3-pointers) in the nine games prior to the procedure. #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 16, 2020
As Gordon starts to return to his typical production, that should make for good fortune for the Rockets, a team that needs its shooters like Gordon to contribute.
Though Gordon has shot 33.6% from the 3-point line this season, he’s shot 37.2% for his career. The Rockets will play the Los Angeles Lakers in Houston on Saturday.
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