Eric Gordon Practices Friday, Set to Return Sunday vs. Pelicans

Gordon has been out of Houston's lineup since Nov. 13 after undergoing right knee surgery

Rockets guard Eric Gordon will return to the floor on Sunday against the Pelicans, head coach Mike D'Antoni announced on Friday.  

Gordon has been out since undergoing right knee surgery on Nov. 13. He practiced with the Rockets on Friday, but will sit out on Saturday as the Rockets host the Nets. 

Russell Westbrook will miss Houston's game in New Orleans on Sunday as the contest is on the second night of a back-to-back. Gordon is expected to fill the void left in Houston's backcourt, albeit in limited minutes.

"It's good to get [Gordon] back, and I'm looking forward to getting everybody back because we can see what we have," D'Antoni said on Friday. "We'll get him back into the fold and start working our rotations and getting everybody comfortable."

Gordon should be a significant offensive option for the Rockets when he returns to full strength, especially when opponents double-team James Harden. Gordon is a 37.2% career three-point shooter, and his range extends well past 25 feet. The Indiana product is also a dynamic scorer off the bounce, a key to punishing opponents on Harden doubles. 

"They're going to [double Harden] even if I'm out there sometimes, they don't want [Harden] scoring like that" Gordon told the media at the Toyota Center on Monday. "That's where I come in. ...I knock down shots and you get another dimension when I'm creating my shot, also. If they want to continue doing it, we'll see what happens."

Eric Gordon confident the #Rockets will break the Harden trap when Gordon returns to the floor on Sunday.

“If they want to continue doing it, we’ll see what happens.” pic.twitter.com/9lpv30floj

— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) December 27, 2019

Gordon's knee hampered him throughout an abysmal start to 2019-20. He shot 30.9% from the field and 28.4% from three while averaging a career-worst 10.9 points per game. 

The Rockets' offense held steady without Gordon in 21 games this season. They sport the NBA's No. 3 offense since Nov. 13, and Houston enters Saturday night's matchup with Brooklyn at fourth place in the Western Conference at 21–10.

Gordon joined the Rockets on a four-year deal in July 2016. He signed a four-year, $75.6 million extension in September.