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Mike D'Antoni has made a change to the starting lineup: Corey Brewer will get the start and Eric Gordon will go to the bench, Jonathan Feigen reports.
The move was reportedly made to match up with Wizards point guard John Wall and to keep Gordon "fresh" for the second unit. Now, Gordon is a full member of said unit.
One of the things that has been a struggle for the Houston Rockets this season has been the bench production. It's there on some nights, but not a consistent unit as a whole.
On the season, the Rockets’ bench as averaging 33.5 points a game, with the starters scoring the lion share of points with 79.8 points a game.
As of now, the bench has no true scoring threat, but swapping Brewer for Gordon will give the second unit a little more punch.
Brewer has gotten starts for the team before, but this will be one of the few times he will be asked to guard an All Star point guard from the jump. No word at the moment if this move will be more than a one-game experiment or if they could ride this until Patrick Beverley is ready to return.
At 3-3 without a signature win — and in the middle of a five-game road trip — the Rockets are still tinkering, and rightfully so. K.J. McDaniels had been the first wing off the bench in most Rockets games so far, but D’Antoni likely trusts the veteran over the third-year player in key defensive assignments.