Houston Rockets: Eric Gordon has found his shooting touch
After shooting just under 30 percent from downtown to start the season, Eric Gordon has managed to rediscover his shooting touch for the Houston Rockets as of late.
Prior to the return of Chris Paul last month, Eric Gordon was in the midst of putting together one of his finest campaigns yet in his second season with the Houston Rockets — averaging 20.4 points per game in 14 games as a starter, before officially returning to the bench to serve as Clutch City’s leading sixth man under head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Now, the 28-year-old shooting guard appears to be coming out of his initial shooting slump.
The defending 3-Point Shootout champion — who shot just under 30 percent from long range in October — has managed to returned to old form, making opposing defenses pay in the process. With Gordon shooting 42.4 percent from downtown in the month of December, D’Antoni’s confidence never seem to waver despite his early season woes.
"“You don’t mess with anything like that,” D’Antoni said to reporters last month, after Gordon had a four-game stretch in which he went 5-for-34 from 3-point land. “It’s like if you have a good marriage you have selective hearing. To have good shooters, you have selective eyesight.”"
That eyesight appears to be close to 20/20 vision as of late, as D’Antoni’s trust has proven to pay dividends for the team with the best record in basketball more times than not.
Over the last five games, Gordon has knocked down an average of 4.4 triples per contest for the Rockets, shooting almost 46 percent from beyond the arc. All the while, he’s averaging 22.4 points per game, and Houston has won 14 of its last 16 contests.
The former Indiana Hoosiers star recently gave credit to the Houston’s offense, for helping him find his stride.
"“We’re a great offensive team,” Gordon told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, after posting a season-high 33 points in a 120-99 win against the Utah Jazz. “If you’re going to stop the paint, we’re going to knock down 3s. If you’re going to take away the 3, we’re going to score on the inside. You have to pick your choice.”"
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/944387109711962114
Despite dropping back-to-back contests for the first time since late October this past week, D’Antoni and the Rockets must be thankful to have Splash Gordon back in time for the holiday season. With the team currently lacking depth, Houston needs all the help it can get from its second-leading scorer to close out December in grand fashion.
Luc Mbah A Moute has missed the last five games due to a dislocated right shoulder, while Clint Capela and Chris Paul, are both sidelined with a sore heel and strained adductor, respectively.
As a result, the Rockets will look to call upon Gordon’s number often over the next four games, as he is likely to take Paul’s place in the starting lineup for the rest of the month.
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The Houston Rockets seek to snap their two-game losing streak, as they get ready to face off against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas Day.