Rockets Falter Late in Orlando, Drop 8th Straight in 119-111 Loss to Magic
Strong Start, Slow Finish. Big Problems. Breaking Through.
It initially appeared that the Rockets would snap their seven game losing streak in Orlando. Houston raced out to a 17-3 early lead against the Magic, but the Rockets fizzled late, as Orlando took control of the second quarter, and the game, en route to a 119-111 loss for the Rockets, their eighth consecutive defeat. The Magic outscored Houston 31-18 in the second quarter, and while the Rockets made it a completive outing, they never could regain the early stranglehold they had on Orlando in the first period.
The Magic were simply too big for the Rockets in the interior. Chuma Okeke had the game of his life, scoring a career-high 26 points and grabbing 9 boards off the bench. Wendell Carter Jr. also posed problems for Houston in the post. Carter finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando. Christian Wood had another double-double for the Rockets, registering 21 points and 11 boards, but it wasn’t enough against this oversized Magic squad.
Houston’s now lost eight games in a row. One good sign amidst all the struggles has been the play of Jalen Green. After an inconsistent first two-thirds of the season, Green has found his stride over the past handful of games. Green led the Rockets in scoring with 23 points, and a career-high 4 steals. Most importantly, Green’s shooting has continued to improve. Green shot 9-for-16 from the floor on Friday, including 4-for-9 from distance. It appears the All-Star break allowed the game to slow down for Houston’s rookie. Green will make a push for rookie of the year over the final 23 games, but if the Rockets keep losing games, he won’t have much of a chance to win the award. Luckily for Houston, 15 of their 23 remaining games are at home, including three home games in four days starting Sunday. Houston will play the Clippers twice, the last team they saw before the All-Star break. And while the previous meeting may make the rematch appear one-sided… a return home may be all the Rockets need to finally secure a victory.