Eric Gordon scored a career-high 50 points, Danuel House Jr. chipped in a double-double, and the short-handed Houston Rockets pulled off a stunning 126-117 victory over the red-hot Utah Jazz on Monday in Salt Lake City.
With James Harden (thigh), Russell Westbrook (rest) and Clint Capela (heel) all unavailable for the second game of a back-to-back set at altitude, Gordon carried Houston with a scintillating performance.
The veteran guard shot 14 of 22 from the floor, drilled 6 of 11 3-point attempts and hit 16 of 20 free throws to lead the way. His three-point play through a Rudy Gobert foul extended the Houston lead to 118-105 with 1:39 remaining and snuffed out the final hope Utah had at capping a comeback.
House was nearly as instrumental, pairing 21 points with 11 rebounds while adding five steals. His dunk of an offensive rebound off Austin Rivers’ errant 3-point attempt helped the Rockets maintain a 12-point cushion with 2:35 left after the Jazz worked frantically to cut what had been a 17-point deficit.
Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 36 points while Bojan Bogdanovic added 30 while making seven 3-pointers. The Jazz had won 14 of their previous 15 games.
Rivers added 21 points for Houston while Gobert posted 12 points and 14 rebounds for Utah.
Gordon and House anchored a strong shooting start for the Rockets, posting nine points apiece in the opening quarter while Houston shot 47.6 % overall.
However, after the Rockets carried a 28-20 lead into the second quarter, the Jazz began that period with a 13-2 run that featured seven points from Mitchell. Conley lifted Utah to a 33-30 lead at the 8:43 mark, but the Rockets did not wilt, with Gordon again stepping forward to shoulder the offensive load for Houston.
Gordon tallied 15 points in the period, leading Houston to a 59-46 lead by the intermission. Mitchell countered with 17 points by the break and seemingly fashioned a reply whenever Gordon and Houston threatened to pull away.
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (right) drives past Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles during the second quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports