Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon is listed as questionable for Sunday’s home game versus Utah with a left lower leg contusion.
If Gordon sits out, options to start in his place include Robert Covington, Danuel House Jr., Ben McLemore, and Austin Rivers.
Gordon played only nine minutes in Friday’s loss at Phoenix and scored just 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting. He did not return after halftime.
After the game, head coach Mike D’Antoni said the 31-year-old had “general soreness,” with reporters noting that Gordon limped to the team bus. The 6-foot-3 guard played well a night earlier in Los Angeles, scoring 15 points (5-of-8 on 3-pointers) in a victory over the Lakers.
Did not notice a weird autocorrect. My apologies.
D'Antoni said Eric Gordon had general soreness. https://t.co/k41OHKDPZl
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 8, 2020
#Rockets fall to the Suns 127-91
MDA talks the loss and what happened to Eric Gordon who played just 8 minutes before suffering a left lower leg injury pic.twitter.com/wR2BwQ0rIA
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) February 8, 2020
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Since returning from right knee surgery on Dec. 29, Gordon has averaged 17.3 points in 29.4 minutes per game for the Rockets, including a 35.2% shooting clip from 3-point range. The current injury is to Gordon’s other leg, so it does not appear to be related.
In recent weeks, Gordon has re-joined Houston’s starting lineup, with D’Antoni opting to start three guards in a historically small unit. For the Rockets, it’s part of a clear emphasis on shooting and floor spacing.
With the trade of Capela…. the @houstonrockets have the shortest starting lineup in over 50 years in the NBA
Do you think this strategy will work? Supersmallball https://t.co/ICqtbPUJSJ— Chris Webber (@realchriswebber) February 7, 2020
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Gordon has often played well versus the Jazz in his career, including both the 2018 and 2019 playoffs and during his last outing against them on Jan. 27 — when he scored a career-high 50 points in a Houston victory on the road. Thus, Gordon’s availability on Sunday could prove critical.
The Rockets (33-19) trail the Jazz (33-18) by a half-game in the Western Conference standings, and a victory Sunday would clinch the season series for Houston and the potential head-to-head tiebreaker. At the moment, the Jazz and Rockets are the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the West, which means they would play in the first round if the season ended today.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central time from Toyota Center.
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