The second seed in the Western Conference, The Houston Rockets, are travelling to Florida to square off with the Orlando Magic. The Rockets are on a seven game long winning streak. The Magic just took care of the Cleveland Cavaliers in their prior game.
The Cavs had won 16 straight games when they faced the Magic at home in Ohio and lost the game 103-108. A tremendous win for Orlando who had lost seven out of their nine previous games before the win in Cleveland.
Anthony Black came off the bench and scored 17 points in 22 minutes of playing time. Garry Harris did also come off the bench to give the Magic some big defensive plays. The big man Wendell Carter Jr had his ninth Double double for the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Orlando’s superstar and franchise cornerstone, Paolo Banchero, had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven dimes. Banchero is becoming a very good playmaker with his versatility on the offensive end of the floor. The German star, Franz Wagner, scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Magic head coach, Jamal Mosley, deserves a lot of credit for his coaching down the stretch. So does the shooting guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He made three out of his five shot attempts from behind the arc. A couple of them were big for Orlando.
Orlando’s season started out badly with injuries for Franz Wagner and Banchero. Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner are out for the season. If we take the adversity they have faced into consideration they have turned the season around in good and impressive manners. The Magic currently sit at the 8th spot in the Eastern conference with a record of 32 wins and 37 losses. Their home record is 18 wins to 16 lost games. The guard Cole Anthony is questionable for the game tonight at the Kia Center due to a left big toe strain. With 13 games left in the regular season, The Magic are bound to make a push as the team is getting healthier.
The Houston Rockets never give up. We saw yet another proof of that in their prior game. The Rockets came back to beat the Philadelphia 76ers after being down big in the game (25 points). Houston won in overtime 144-137. The power forward Jabari Smith Jr scored 30 points off the bench, Jabari also had eight boards and made five out of his seven attempts from behind the arc. Jalen Green also had 30 points and added a team-high 13 assists. A great game from Green. Dillon Brooks made five three-pointers.
The fact that the veteran point guard and former NBA champion, Fred VanVleet, is back in the lineup since a while back is the best explanation for why The Rockets are on a seven-game long winning streak. Fred had two steals, two blocks, and seven dimes versus the 76ers. VanVleet has a calming presence on his teammates when he is on the floor. The Turkish big man, Alperun Sengun, only played for 22 minutes (including overtime). The 22-year-old “Alpie” had 11 rebounds, which was a team high for The Houston Rockets. It is notable that Aaron Holiday came off the bench and had a plus-minus of plus 30.
The Rockets have beaten the following teams in their seven-game long winning streak. Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Orlando, and New Orleans x2. The Houston Rockets own a road record of 18 wins and 14 lost games at this point of the season. Houston are tied with The Denver Nuggets for the second position in the Western conference with a record of 44 wins and 25 losses.
Two players are on the injury report for the Rockets. The second-year player Amen Thompson is out due to a left ankle sprain. The talented rookie Reed Shepherd is out due to a right thumb avulsion fracture. Thompson being out is a blow to the head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets. Amen is the key player of the franchise and has a bright future ahead of him. A player that Udoka has a lot of trust in.
