Hoosiers Now

NBA Hoosiers: Eric Gordon Injures Ankle, Might Miss 1-2 Weeks for Houston Rockets

Former Indiana star Eric Gordon rolled an ankle badly on Tuesday night and likely will miss the Houston Rockets' opener when the NBA season resumes on Thursday.

Tom Brew

Houston guard Eric Gordon was forced to leave the Rockets' scrimmage in the second quarter on Tuesday with a left ankle injury.

Gordon landed on the foot of Boston Celtics center Vincent Poirier before being helped off the floor. Gordon briefly put weight on his leg, but he needed help leaving the arena.

X-Rays on Gordon's ankle came back negative, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said after the game that the team will know more about the extent of Gordon's injury on Wednesday, but the shooting guard is expected to miss some time.

It's been an injury-riddled 2019-20 for the Indiana product. Gordon missed 22 games in November and December after undergoing knee surgery, and he battled shin and ankle injuries in February and March. The NBA's extended hiatus appeared to benefit Gordon as he rehabbed his knee during Houston's four months off.

Gordon has struggled when he's been on the floor this season. He's shooting a career-low 37% from the field, and he's down to just 31.9% from the three-point line. 

But despite Gordon's struggles, he was slated to play in the starting lineup when the regular season resumes on July 31, per Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni.

The Rockets have plenty of experience playing without Gordon in 2019-20. Danuel House started in 47 of his 58 appearances this season, and the Rockets opted to start Ben McLemore alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the second half on Tuesday. Austin Rivers will likely soak up additional minutes if Gordon misses extended time.

The Rockets will be done with their scrimmage slate at the conclusion of Tuesday's scrimmage. They will face the Mavericks when the regular season resumes on July 31.

NBA season set to resume

For 22 of the NBA's 30 teams, the NBA season will pick back up this week, with two games on Thursday and most of the league getting back to action the next day. Everyone is playing eight regular season games to determine the 16 playoff teams.

The entire league is sequestered in a bubble in Orlando, with very strict quarantine rules to keep everyone healthy,

There are eight former Indiana players still active. (Cody Zeller's Charlotte Hornets team did not qualify). Here's who's left:

  • Thomas Bryant, Washington Wizards
  • Yogi Ferrell, Sacramento Kings
  • Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
  • Juwan Morgan, Utah Jazz
  • Romeo Langford, Boston Celtics
  • OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
  • Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
  • Noah Vonleh, Denver Nuggets
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

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