With Westbrook out, Rockets want more of Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon

In the absence of their All-Star guard and former MVP, the Rockets hope a pair of veterans can take on larger roles in the playoffs.

With All-Star guard Russell Westbrook (right quad strain) out for at least the start of Houston’s first-round playoff series versus Oklahoma City, the Rockets are well aware that they have a playmaking void.

Fellow All-Star and MVP finalist James Harden is certainly capable of taking on an even higher workload, but what happens if (or when) the Thunder trap or double Harden and force the ball out of his hands?

That’s where veteran guards Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers could play a key role against the NBA’s No. 7 overall defense by net rating.

“With Russ being out, me and Eric have to be in attack mode, making plays for others and looking to score,” Rivers said at Sunday’s practice.

“Even when Russ comes back later on, whether it’s this series or next series — we’ve got to handle business first — but no matter when, we have to be aggressive,” Rivers added. “It’s just going to help James out.”

Each has shown an ability to step up in flashes. Rivers scored a career-high 41 points last Sunday in a game Westbrook missed, while Gordon had 13 points (50% on 3-pointers) in 23 minutes in Houston’s regular-season finale versus Philadelphia. Gordon also has a very strong track record on offense and defense from previous playoff runs in Houston.

“You can’t replace a Russell Westbrook, but having said that, we do have a lot of other weapons,” said head coach Mike D’Antoni said, whose Rockets (44-28) rank No. 2 in the NBA in points per game this season. “We’ll play to the strengths of Eric. It’s not that Eric needs to be Russell.”

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Westbrook was Houston’s No. 2 scorer (27.2) and rebounder (7.9) on a per-game basis in the 2019-20 regular season.

While Gordon will technically start in place of Westbrook in the backcourt, he says it will take a team effort to replace the former MVP.

“I’ll definitely do a lot more playmaking now that he’s out,” Gordon said. “I think it’s not just me, but it’s going to take a collective group effort. Because he’s also a big-time rebounder and scorer, and it’s going to take a group effort. My playmaking is going to have to be really good.”

Gordon was Houston’s No. 3 scorer in the regular season with 14.4 points in 28.2 minutes per game, while Rivers averaged 8.8 points (35.6% on 3-pointers) in 23.4 minutes per game off the bench.

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Both will also be needed for on-ball defense against accomplished Thunder guards such as Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who all averaged more than 17 points per game.

“With our size and us playing small-ball, we’re going to have to be more focused on that,” Rivers said of perimeter defense. “It’s really just keeping the ball in front, and we’ve got to keep them out of the paint.”

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With all games inside the fan-less NBA “bubble” at Disney World in Florida, Game 1 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central on Tuesday. TNT will have the national broadcast, with a regional version (with Houston announcers) airing on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

“We’re going to see who executes, and who makes bigger plays,” Rivers said at Sunday’s team practice. “Whoever makes more winning plays and is more locked in is going to win this series.”

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