The Rockets’ hopes to have their backcourt rotation together again did not last 24 hours.
With James Harden back from his strained left hamstring after sitting out Friday against the Nets, guard Eric Gordon was ruled out for Saturday’s game with a sore leg.
Gordon, who started when Chris Paul served his two-game suspension and when Harden sat out three games with his injury, had struggled with his shot, but might have been turning it around against the Nets. Gordon had made 4 of 26 3-pointers in his previous three games and missed his first three shots on Friday, but made 6 of his remaining 11 shots, matching his season high with 21 points.