Rockets Trounce Magic in Houston 97-84

The Magic (30-36) traveled to Texas Monday night and got thumped by the Houston Rockets (40-25) 97-84.

Rocket Power

The difference maker in this game was clearly the Rockets depth. Anybody on the court can give an efficient shooting performance and then back it up on the defensive end. Five scorers ended in double digits for H-Town, including a team leading 20 point performance from Jabari Smith Jr.

The Orlando Magic do not share this same luxury. Only the usual suspects of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were able to reach this mark. Banchero dropped a game high 25 points and Wagner tacked on another 15.

Unfortunately, they just don’t have a trustworthy next line of scoring without Mo Wagner and Jalen Suggs. Orlando outpaced the Rockets for much of the first quarter, but after a Tari Eason layup gave the home team a 23-21 lead, they refused to give it up.

Magic Struggles

Houston kept their distance, and the Magic really had no answer. The stout Rockets defense forced poor shot selection, ending in an abysmal shooting night for Orlando. They shot just 35% from the field and 25% from deep.

On top of the shooting woes, Orlando was also outmuscled low by the Rockets, losing the rebound battle by a staggering -21. Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun combined for 31 total boards.

While the Magic look to their injuries as a major source for their shortcomings since the new year, this was a Houston team down two starters. Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson were both sidelined from this contest with ankle injuries.

Orlando now has just one win in their last seven as they continue to slide down the standings in the absence of Mo Wagner and Suggs, two of the team’s best defenders and scorers. They sit eighth in the Eastern Conference, right in the heart of the play-in race as the playoffs loom larger by the day.

Next Up

After this loss, Orlando will have a few days off before traveling to the Big Easy for a date with the New Orleans Pelicans (17-48) on March 13 at 8 p.m. on GCSEN.