Disarray: Rockets Fall Under Magic Trick in 116-86 Opening Night Loss in Orlando
Disappearing Act. Overly Outplayed. Growing Pains.
As they entered a new season with a fresh sense of hype, the Houston Rockets were quickly reminded of a past they’d love to forget. The Rockets were outmanned in every fact of the game by the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, en route to an embarrassing 116-86 Opening Night loss. The opener, against a young, improving Orlando team, was supposed to be competitive at the least. Houston trailed from the opening tip. They briefly held a 3 point lead in the first quarter, and trailed by a dozen entering halftime. The Rockets best display of basketball was early in the third quarter, where Houston cut the deficit to one point, 63-62. That’s the closest the Rockets would get to surmounting the Magic and making a comeback.
No one played spectacularly for Houston, but Alperen Sengun had the best overall night. Sengun finished with 14 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks also scored 14 points apiece in their Rocket debuts. Jalen Green scored only 10 points, as Houston’s young star continues to struggle with his shot entering his third season. Green connected on only 2 of his 10 shot attempts on Wednesday, and didn’t have a single assist on the evening. Amen Thompson had a quite night in his debut. The fourth overall pick was noticeably excited upon playing his first NBA game. Thompson struggled with his shot, scoring only 8 points on 3-for-10 shooting. In another Rockets debut, rookie Cam Whitmore didn’t score in 10 minutes of action. Jabari Smith Jr. had a quiet night, scoring only 7 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Houston was simply outplayed and out-hustled by a hungrier Orlando team. The Rockets have a lot of new pieces, along with a new Coaching system which the players are trying to implement successfully as quickly as possible. However, this team will endure some growing pains, as evidenced in their embarrassing opening night loss.
Cole Anthony was the best player for the Magic on Wednesday night. Coming off the bench, Anthony led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and also grabbed 8 rebounds. Franz Wagner chipped in 19 points, and Paolo Banchero contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 dimes for a seemingly rejuvenated Orlando team to start their season.
Houston will now travel to San Antonio to take on their in-state rival Spurs on Friday night. It will be officially the first time the Rockets face rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. The squad will need a better performance than their showing in Orlando if they want any chance to split this opening two-game road-trip. The Rockets then return home Sunday to face the Golden State Warriors in their home opener at Toyota Center. For now, Houston looks to rekindle the hype to begin the season as they travel to the Alamo City for their second game on Friday night.