Eric Gordon not on Rockets’ injury report for Minnesota game

Rockets guard Eric Gordon (knee) isn’t on the injury report for Saturday’s home game, while center Clint Capela (heel) is questionable.

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon is not on the team’s initial injury report heading into Saturday’s game versus Minnesota, which would presumably mean that he is set to return after a one-game absence.

Gordon sat out Thursday in Oklahoma City with right knee soreness. It’s the same knee the 6-foot-3 reserve guard had surgery on earlier in the season, and he’s still working his way back into optimal condition.

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In a pregame interview, head coach Mike D’Antoni referred to Gordon’s soreness as “normal” and “nothing out of the ordinary,” and that appears to indeed be the case with Gordon set to return Saturday.

Per D’Antoni, Gordon reported some soreness in the knee after Wednesday’s game in Atlanta, when he scored 17 points in 30 minutes during a 122-115 Houston victory. The 31-year-old helped secure the game with a big 3-pointer with just over two minutes left.

Since returning from surgery on Dec. 29 in New Orleans, Gordon has averaged 15.3 points per game in 27.1 minutes on an efficient 38.7% shooting clip from behind the 3-point arc.

That’s much improved from his production prior to surgery, when Gordon averaged 10.9 points in 29.4 minutes on 28.4% 3-point shooting.

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As expected, starting center Clint Capela is listed on the initial injury report as questionable due to a right heel contusion. D’Antoni said postgame in Oklahoma City that it was unclear whether Capela would play Saturday, citing the lingering injury. If Capela is unable to go, 21-year-old seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein would likely start in his place.

With tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. Central, the next update on Capela’s status will likely come when D’Antoni meets with reporters at 2:15 p.m. for his pregame media session at Toyota Center.

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The Rockets (25-12) enter Saturday’s game having won 12 consecutive home games over the Timberwolves (15-22), and 15 straight if you include three games from the 2018 playoffs. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable for Minnesota with a sprained left knee.