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Houston Rockets Vs. Orlando Magic: Game 55: Sneak Peek Analysis

By Brian K. Patterson

Nov 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) controls the ball as Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) controls the ball as Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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After some well-deserved rest, the Houston Rockets are back at it again.

After some well-deserved rest, the Houston Rockets are back at it again.

You can obviously tell that this bunch is tired, they’ve just completed an eight-day, five-game road trip — where they went 3-2 — and then they had a bunch of home games last week.

What happened against the Atlanta Hawks was unfathomable, allowing them to come back from 20 points down to win the game.

But luckily, the Rockets bounced back from that and got a quality, 121-117 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls this past Saturday, the last time that they played.

They should be rested up a bit now and ready to take the court once again for battle.

They’ll be taking on the 20-33 Orlando Magic tonight amid Hakeem Olajuwon‘s night to honored as one of the greats in the franchise’s 50th Anniversary celebration.

So what’s next?

So who’s leading the charge for the Magic?

Evan Fournier leads the team in scoring (16.6 PPG), Nikola Vucevic is the top board-getter (9.7 RPG).  Elfrid Payton is the top assist man (5.8 APG).  Jodie Meeks holds the torch in steals (1.8 SPG).  Serge Ibaka is the top shot-blocker (1.6 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Magic do well.

They take care of the basketball.  The Magic are tied for 8th in the NBA — with the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls —  in turnover ratio, with 12.1 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.

They rebound the ball defensively well.  The Magic are 10th in the NBA in defensive rebound rate (77.1).

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Injuries:

Nene Hilario missed Friday’s tilt against the Chicago Bulls with a sore groin.  He did practice yesterday and is expected to play against the Magic tonight.

As for the Magic, Jodie Meeks has injured his thumb is expected to be until at least around the beginning of next month.

C.J. Wilcox is suffering from left Achilles’ tendinitis — he did not make the trip with the team so it’s highly likely that he’ll be OUT for tonight.

Source(s): Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com and CBS Sports

Matchups to Watch:

  1. Clint Capela vs. Nikola Vucevic
  2. Patrick Beverley vs. Elfrid Payton
  3. James Harden vs. Evan Fournier
  4. Ryan Anderson vs. Serge Ibaka

Prediction:

111-99 in a Houston Rockets’ win!

The Rockets are back at home for awhile to take on the Magic at Toyota Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest/NBA TV and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 213 (Internet 890) and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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