- SIMBA FRENCH Guardian Sports Reporter simba@nasguard.com
- Dec 29, 2023
- 0
Bahamian professional basketball player Eric ‘EJ’ Gordon put on an offensive clinic on Wednesday, finishing with a season-high 27 points to propel the Phoenix Suns to a 129-113 blowout road victory over the Houston Rockets in National Basketball Association (NBA) action.
Gordon was able to match Kevin Durant for team- and game-high honors.
Playing at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, for the first time since getting traded in February, Gordon ripped his old team, going 10-for-15 from the field to shoot at a 66.7 percent clip. He was able to go 7-for-11 from deep where he shot 63.6 percent. The shooting guard had an uncharacteristic night on defense as he come away with three blocks in 40 minutes on the floor.
“It was great to be back here,” Gordon said. “I had a lot of good memories and a lot of fun here and it was a major turning point in my career, coming to Houston, and tonight (Wednesday), we did what we’re supposed to do.”
The Suns’ Kevin Durant had his 18th career triple-double when he came away with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 24 points in the loss.
As a team, the Suns shot the ball at a 57 percent clip. The Rockets finished the night shooting 42 percent from the field.
Gordon was a man on a mission in the second quarter as he missed just one of his seven shot attempts, pouring in 17 points in that stanza. Five of his made shots in the second quarter came from deep and he also had two blocks in that period. The Suns as a team were hot in that quarter as they finished 16-for-21 from the field, shooting 76.2 percent.
In that second quarter, the Suns outscored their counterparts, 43-31, to take a 73-55 lead at the intermission. Gordon had 21 points at the half to set his team on the right path.
The Rockets played the Suns close in the second half, but it was not enough to cut into an 18-point first half deficit.https://37a345d68c71b6fede6bc3ccf8c353c1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
The Suns outrebounded the Rockets, 44-33. They had 27 points off 10 turnovers by the Rockets.
Gordon has played in 26 games this season and was able to start in 19 of those games. He is averaging 32 minutes on the floor in those 26 games. He is averaging 13.8 points, two rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The 15-year veteran is showing no signs of rust as he is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. He is averaging one steal per contest.
Action continues for the Suns today when they return home to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, where they will host the Charlotte Hornets (7-21), starting at 9 p.m. The Hornets were on an eight-game losing streak before facing the Los Angeles Lakers last night. The result of that game was unavailable up to press time.