In the first injury report issued by the Houston Rockets after the All-Star break, big man Bruno Caboclo is cleared to play while guard Eric Gordon is questionable for Thursday’s game at Golden State.
At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, the 24-year-old Caboclo is the longest potential option at center for the suddenly smaller Rockets. He was listed as out before the All-Star break due to a bruised left knee.
Caboclo has played only sparingly at the NBA level this year amid knee problems. But in 34 games late last season with Memphis, Caboclo averaged 8.3 points (36.9% 3-point shooting) and 4.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game. Houston acquired him at the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
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Meanwhile, Gordon has been dealing with a bruised left shin after getting kicked in the leg during a game in late January. The injury caused the 6-foot-3 guard, who had previously been starting at small forward, to miss Houston’s final two games before the All-Star break.
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Speaking at Wednesday’s practice in San Francisco, Gordon said he still had some soreness in the leg, but that it was much better than last week.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon listed as questionable to play Thursday against the Warriors with a bruised lower leg. He said today he was still sore after practicing, but much better than before the break.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 19, 2020
The injury appeared to contribute to a sudden downturn in Gordon’s performance before the All-Star break. In his first 13 games since returning from right knee surgery on Dec. 29, Gordon averaged 20.0 points in 30.4 minutes per game on 39.8% shooting from 3-point range.
In six games after the injury, Gordon averaged 11.5 points in 27.2 minutes on just 22.2% 3-point shooting. The shin injury is to his left leg, which is not the one that had the prior surgical procedure.
In the two games that Gordon missed before the All-Star break, the Rockets started both Robert Covington and Danuel House Jr. as forwards alongside center P.J. Tucker, and they would likely continue with that alignment Thursday in Golden State if Gordon is unavailable or limited.
Off the bench, frontcourt depth options for head coach Mike D’Antoni would include veteran Thabo Sefolosha and three newcomers to the Rockets in Caboclo, DeMarre Carroll, and Jeff Green.
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The Rockets might consider being conservative with Gordon based on the nature of the opponent. Golden State (12-43) has the league’s worst record, while the Rockets (34-20) have a bigger game looming at Utah (36-18) on Saturday, for which they’d love to have Gordon healthy.
The Rockets trail the Jazz by two games in the Western Conference standings, and that game will also decide any potential tiebreaker, since the three-game season series is now tied. In Gordon’s last outing in Salt Lake City, he led Houston to a win while scoring a career-high 50 points.
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Though Houston did lose at Golden State in a Christmas Day upset, the Rockets will be heavy favorites Thursday regardless of whether Gordon is able to play. Tip-off from Oracle Arena is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Central time, with an exclusive national broadcast on TNT.
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