Getty Eric Gordon #10 of the Houston Rockets
It appears the Houston Rockets may have just dodged a massive bullet.
Guard Eric Gordon exited Houston’s scrimmage versus the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in the second quarter with what appeared to be a scary left ankle injury.
Eric Gordon was carried to the locker room after apparently injuring his left ankle.
Gordon was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday night’s scrimmage after undergoing an X-Ray on the injured ankle. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the results on Gordon’s X-Ray came back negative. The Senior NBA Insider noted that “for now, Rockets will wait and see how the ankle responds overnight.”
With that said, head coach Mike D’Antoni has since told reports that he expects Gordon to be out “a few days.”
The team’s third-leading scorer came down on the foot of Celtics’ big-man, Vincent Poirer, after making a pass into the paint. Gordon then dropped to the floor, grimacing in pain, before teammates Michael Frazier and Tyson Chandler helped him to his feet and assisted him off the court and into the locker room.
Despite the loss of Gordon on the night, the Rockets cruised to an easy 137-112 win over Boston. The Celtics rested their starting five, along with key reserves such as Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter. Gordon’s backcourt-mate James Harden led the way with a game-high 35 points.
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What a Gordon Injury Means for Houston’s Title Hopes
The potential loss of Gordon for an extended period of time would be a massive blow for the Rockets’ title hopes, and the team knows it. Evident by general manager Daryl Morey’s comments on Gordon back in May during a Facebook Q&A.
We can’t really win the title without Eric being himself. It hasn’t happened this year, except for a couple times when he’s been healthy.
He’s apparently doing great, according to our training staff and coaches. Eric knows you make your money in the playoffs. He’s been a huge playoff performer for us. In our 2018 run, amazing. Last year against Utah, he was the key against Donovan Mitchell. I think that’s going to be important.
Prior to sustaining his ankle injury on Tuesday, Gordon had been busy during the NBA stoppage working his way back from a spotty right knee, which led to surgery back in November and forced Gordon to miss a total of 34 games prior to the pandemic. The 31-year-old also dropped 12 pounds during the time off in hopes he’d be able to “prevent further injury.”
Gordon entered the bubble averaging 14.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for Houston this season. On his career, Gordon is a 16.6 points per game scorer and a solid threat from beyond the arc, shooting 37.0% from three-point range since entering the league back in 2008.