Gordon’s off, but wins roll in
If the Rockets had hoped the move of Eric
Gordon to the starting lineup would get his 3point shooting going, that did not work out in the first three games with Gordon starting along with
James Harden and Chris Paul.
But the Rockets did win the first three games with the revised lineup, making it certain they would stick with what has worked. “It’s fine,” coach Mike
D’Antoni said. “We finish games with that this year. Just trying to start it. Whether it remains like that, we’ll see. So far, so good. I really don’t think it really matters that much.
“He’ll come out of it. Guys go through it all the time. They have some bad shooting nights. It’s more important, we try to harp on you can win a game a thousand different ways. It doesn’t have to be shooting all the time. Shooting is nice, but just your defense and pushing the ball, being alert on the weak side and rebounding and all that. If you don’t shoot (well), that shouldn’t be a priority.”
Gordon went into Monday after making six of 37 3-pointers in his previous six games and one of 17 on 3s in the three games with the current lineup. He was 2-for-6 from 3-point range and scored 12 points in Monday’s win over the Jazz.
Ennis may miss two more weeks
In a season in which the Rockets have gone from one injury to the next since training camp, forward
James Ennis III is the final player out. Coach Mike
D’Antoni said Ennis, who a week ago went out with a strained right hamstring for the second time this season, could miss another “a couple weeks, something like that.”
The Rockets estimate that would be when Ennis could play in a game by then, but would be back practicing sooner with his timetable likely to be determined by how he recovers from those workouts. There are expected to be at least two practices next week.
“Hopefully, a little bit after Christmas or Christmas Day,” Ennis said of when he could return. “It all depends on his body and how it reacts.”
Harden lauded with NBA honor
Guard James Harden, who had triple-doubles in consecutive games for the seventh time in his career, was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, the first time he has been cited this season.
In the three games last week, Harden averaged 37 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.67 steals per game as the Rockets went 3-0. Harden made 54.1 percent of his shots and 39.3 percent from 3-point range.
Pacers forward Thaddeus Young, who averaged 18.8 points and 9.8 rebounds as Indiana went 4-0, was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Harden, who leads the NBA in scoring with an average of 30.8 points per game, is on pace to be the sixth guard to average at least 30 points in consecutive seasons, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.
With Harden averaging 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and two steals, he is on pace to join Jordan as the only players to average 30 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals in a season since steals became an official statistic in 1973-74.
Harden’s 50-point tripledouble against the Lakers was the fourth of his career, the most in NBA history, joining Wilt
Chamberlain as the only player with multiple 50point games against the Lakers and Paul Pierce as the only player to score 50 points against a team to include LeBron James.
Team waives center Zhou
The Rockets on Monday waived center Zhou Qi, ending a three-season experiment on the first day he was cleared to come back from his sprained ankle.
A 7-1 center the Rockets made the 43rd pick of the 2016 draft, Zhou showed initial promise, but was unable to become a more reliable range shooter or develop as a rim-runner in their offense. Battling injuries this season since training camp, Zhou played in one game.
Zhou, 22, played in 19 games with the Rockets, averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds on 21.2 percent shooting in 6.6 minutes. In 31 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he averaged 11 points and seven rebounds.
Zhou’s contract was non-guaranteed this season, but teams are obligated to continue to pay players released while injured. He was upgraded to probable with a sprained ankle Sunday.
The Rockets have four centers — Clint Capela, Nene, Marquese Chriss and Isaiah Hartenstein — on the roster, with Hartenstein, a second-round pick in 2017, considered a better prospect, leading to Monday’s move.