Tari Eason, Eric Gordon Lift Rockets To 112-106 Win Over Thunder

Tari Eason and Eric Gordon played a huge role in helping the Houston Rockets take a 112-106 win over the Thunder.

HOUSTON — Assistant coach John Lucas II gave Eric Gordon a lot of praise Saturday night. Lucas said Gordon's veteran presence played a huge role in lifting the Rockets to a 117-114 win over the Detroit Pistons despite being short-handed.

Gordon replicated his play Wednesday night when the Rockets took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. He scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting to help the Rockets take a 112-106 win over the Thunder inside the Toyota Center. 

The Rockets held their biggest lead of the night at the 1:30 mark of the first quarter. Tari Eason's layup put Houston ahead 34-22. But the game started to change early in the second quarter.

The Thunder began to pressure the Rockets due to their lack of ball handlers. And once Houston was able to get the ball across half-court, Oklahoma City ran zone defense.

The Rockets began to lose their momentum during the second quarter. And by the end of the third period, Houston trailed the Thunder 86-84 entering the fourth quarter.

Eason's hustle on both ends of the floor helped the Rockets regain a five-point lead with five minutes left in the quarter. The rookie prospect from LSU finished the night with a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds.

K.J. Martin connected on a huge 3-point field goal to push the Rockets' lead to seven (105-98) at the 3:05 mark of the fourth quarter. Martin finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Thunder had four players who scored in double figures. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 24 points (7-of-23 FG), while Josh Giddey added 20 in the loss.

Tari Eason continues to impress:

Tari Eason had a career performance against the Thunder.

Coach Stephen Silas described Eason as a ball of energy during the two games he started in place of Jabari Smith Jr. And for the second consecutive game, Eason validated Silas' description. 

He recorded his fourth career double-double. 

Eason's most impressive play of the game took place with 9 minutes and 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He recorded four offensive rebounds as a result of three missed layup attempts. On his fourth attempt, Eason completed an And-1 basket.

Jalen Green injury update:

Jalen Green missed his second consecutive game due to a calf contusion. Before the game, coach Stephen Silas said he doesn't expect Green to be out too much longer and could make his return as soon as Friday.

Before going out with an injury, Green was averaging 23.6 points on 46.7 percent shooting during his previous five games. The Rockets have gone 2-0 in his absence.

Up Next:

The Rockets will close the week on a back-to-back. They will take on the Toronto Raptors Friday night before heading to Oklahoma City for an away contest against the Thunder on Saturday.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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