Houston Rockets At Orlando Magic: Game 38: Sneak Peek Analysis
The Houston Rockets once again proved how resilient they are when times got tough.
The Houston Rockets once again proved how resilient they are when times got tough.
The Rockets were down by as much 14 points in the 4th quarter and it appeared as if Russell Westbrook was about to tear this team to shreds by himself.
But a funny thing happened…
The Rockets once again had a delayed ignition sequence and they took control of the game shortly thereafter by the midpoint of the 2nd quarter leading by as much as 18.
Although the Thunder made it game once again and with 3.8 seconds left in the game, Mike D’Antoni drew a terrific play with James Harden being the decoy to guard while he quickly flicked the pass to a cutting Nene.
Nene drew the foul and comfortably sunk both free throws putting the Rockets ahead 118-116 and ultimately allowing to get their 28th win of the season.
The Rockets will take on the 16-21 Orlando Magic tonight in a back-to-back and they’ll have somewhat of a task defending their keen ability to accurately find the open man.
The Magic have a lot of young talent but it still hasn’t quite come together in O-Town but we’ve got to ensure they don’t hit their stride tonight.
So who’s leading the charge for the Magic?
Evan Fournier leads the team in scoring (17.7 PPG), Nikola Vucevic is the top board-getter (10.3 RPG) and Elfrid Payton is in charge of the dimes (5.9 APG) and steals (1.2 SPG). Serge Ibaka is the top shot-blocker (1.8 BPG).
Let’s talk about what the Magic do well.
They minimize their mistakes. The Magic are 6th in turnover ratio with only 11.8 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.
They’re good at moving the basketball around. The Magic are 9th in assist ratio, with 17.1 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.
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Injuries:
Clint Capela collided into Karl-Anthony Towns Dec. 17th against the T-Wolves. He seemed to be in tremendous pain and could not walk on his own power to locker room.
It’s apparent that he has a minor fracture of his fibula and is expected to be out at least four weeks. Nene will have some big shoes to fill as Capela heals but the Rockets can press on without him.
It would be nice for the Rockets to make a deal for his replacement but I think the depth of our bench could fill his void.
Patrick Beverley has been dealing with some pain in his wrist that sidelined him this past Saturday against the New York Knicks. He returned to action last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder and chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
This included him snagging four of those rebounds in the last 90 minutes of the game. He was still in a lot of pain after the game and he’ll likely continue to play through it. I’d definitely keep an eye on the progression of his healing.
For the Magic, Evan Fournier returned back into the lineup Wednesday after missing five games with a heel injury. He had 11 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in a 111-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks coming off the bench. He had 31 minutes of action.
The same may occur tonight and expect Jodie Meeks to step in his place if so until the Magic feel he’s comfortable starting again.
Source(s): Houston Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and the Orlando Magic
Matchups to Watch:
- Patrick Beverley vs. Elfrid Payton
- James Harden vs. Evan Fournier
- Nene Hilario/Montrezl Harrell vs. Nikola Vucevic
Prediction:
112-107 in a Houston Rockets’ win!
The Rockets have hit the road to take on the Magic at Amway Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890 and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!