Rockets guard Eric Gordon to return against Pelicans after knee surgery

After undergoing knee surgery more than a month ago, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon is ready to get back out on the court.

Gordon, who practiced fully with the Rockets on Friday, will officially make his return on Sunday for their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

“I’m just anxious to get back and get acclimated to the team,” Gordon said, via the Houston Chronicle. “Hopefully we just continue to get better and better as the year goes on.”

Gordon last took the court for the Rockets, fittingly enough, against the Pelicans, where he scored a season-high 17 points in their 122-116 win on Nov. 11. An MRI the next day, however, revealed loose debris in his knee — which triggered the surgery after months of knee pain dating back to last season.

Gordon averaged a career-worst 10.9 points and shot just 30.9 percent from the field in his first nine games with the Rockets this season, his fourth in Houston.

“I’ve been dealing with it for a long time, it just got worse over time,” Gordon said last month, via Sports Illustrated. “I couldn’t be as athletic as I wanted to be and that’s what I was worried about.”

Twenty-two games later, though, Gordon is healthy and ready to help a Rockets team fresh off a shocking 116-104 Christmas loss to the depleted Golden State Warriors.

That slip aside, the Rockets have been on an impressive tear. Houston has won six of its last eight games and appears to have found its groove right in the mix at the top of the Western Conference standings.

Adding Gordon — who averaged 16.2 points last season — back into the mix will likely only bolster the Rockets’ offense moving forward, especially if he jumps back into his sixth man role successfully.

“We’re playing a lot better,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said, via the Houston Chronicle. “Russell is playing better. This is our normal. And I think Eric coming back, if he can get to the levels he plays at it, we should be powerful as hell.”

After missing 22 games recovering from a minor knee surgery, Eric Gordon will take the floor on Sunday night against the Pelicans. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
After missing 22 games recovering from a minor knee surgery, Eric Gordon will take the floor on Sunday night against the Pelicans. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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