Eric Gordon scores career-high 50 as shorthanded Rockets stun Jazz

Eric Gordon scored a career-high 50, and the Rockets won at Utah despite James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Clint Capela all being out.

The Houston Rockets were without three starters and two former MVPs on Monday night for the second half of a road back-to-back, all against a Utah Jazz squad that had won 19 of its last 21 games.

With a gritty and determined effort on both sides of the court, the scrappy and shorthanded Rockets found a way to win, anyway.

Eric Gordon scored a career-high 50 points in the absence of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Clint Capela, and the undermanned Rockets (29-17) won in Salt Lake City, 126-117 (box score). It was the first of three meetings between the Western Conference rivals this season.

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The 6-foot-3 Gordon connected on an astonishing 14-of-22 shots (63.6%) from the field, and 6-of-11 (54.5%) on 3-pointers.

The Jazz (32-14), who lost to the Rockets in a pair of five-game series in both the 2018 and 2019 NBA playoffs, were led by 36 points from Donovan Mitchell and 30 by newcomer Bojan Bogdanovic.

The Rockets led for the majority of the game, and they set the tone early in part due to an unorthodox call from head coach Mike D’Antoni.

Rather than replace Capela with a more traditional center such as Isaiah Hartenstein or Tyson Chandler, the Rockets started 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker in the middle. That forced Utah’s defensive anchor, Rudy Gobert, to abandon the paint at times and defend out to the 3-point line.

That floor spacing opened driving lanes for the likes of Gordon and Austin Rivers, who set a 2019-20 season high of his own with 21 points.

Danuel House Jr., who started at power forward with Tucker sliding to center, also scored 21 points — but his biggest contribution was a career-high 11 rebounds. Despite going smaller, Houston still outrebounded Utah, 40-38, led by 11 rebounds by House and 10 from Tucker.

Thus, the switch to a smaller lineup paid off for the Rockets offensively without compromising them too much on the defensive end.

In the absence of three starters, veteran Thabo Sefolosha scored 9 points in a season-high 26 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%) off the bench. He also provided steady defense, allowing the Rockets to continue spacing the floor at all positions even in the 16 minutes that Tucker sat.

House and Rivers each set 2019-20 season highs with 46 and 41 minutes, respectively, allowing D’Antoni and the Rockets to overcome a short rotation with three starters out due to injuries or rest.

The Rockets have now won three of four games overall, including a 2-1 start to their current four-game road trip. They will finish up the road swing on Wednesday against the Trail Blazers before a stretch with five of seven games at home leading into February’s All-Star break.

Westbrook (rest) and Harden (bruised thigh) are expected back for that game, while the status of Capela (bruised heel) is less clear. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. Central time from Portland.