Rockets have a plan for life without Eric Gordon

Life without Eric Gordon is a very scary thought.

Yet the Houston Rockets had to deal with that exact situation Tuesday night.

Gordon going into the matchup with Charlotte Hornets was a game-time decision and he'd end up not playing, sitting out with a sprained left big toe.

With Tuesday being just the first game of the year that Gordon has missed, the Rockets haven't had the need to develop a backup plan.

Before the game, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni was asked by the media if K.J. McDaniels or Tyler Ennis would get a bump in minutes but he said he hadn't decided what to do yet.

Come game-time, neither McDaniels nor Ennis saw the floor. D'Antoni instead had chosen to increase Corey Brewer's role.

Brewer on the season was averaging 14 minutes a game, but Tuesday night he played 26 minutes and was productive, scoring a season-high 15 points on 7 for 10 shooting.

"He's been playing well for a while," Mike D'Antoni said of Brewer's night. "Now, he might not have made all of his shots, but his defense, his energy, his running the floor, it's been a while (that) he's played well. (Tuesday) I thought was one of his better games, he had more time and he had more opportunities on the floor, so yeah, he's invaluable where he's playing."

The Rockets Wednesday night will again have to deal with Gordon being out, and with Brewer proving he can carry the load in his absence look for D'Antoni to keep things as is. If it works, more credit to D’Antoni. But trusting Brewer to shooting around 50 percent is playing with fire, and it’s tough luck for K.J. McDaniels, who hasn’t smelled the floor in weeks.

Brewer may get a lot of hate on Rockets Twitter, but just know, the team really likes everything that he provides.

If the Rockets are forced to be without Gordon for a very long stretch, just increasing Brewers minutes might not be enough, but at the moment it's not a problem.