Orlando Magic Race Past Houston Rockets 120-113

Tempo paces Magic for second consecutive victory.

For the first time since 1996 the Orlando Magic have scored more than 120 points in regulation in consecutive games

This offensive outburst, once again led by a much faster offensive tempo pushed the Magic to a 120-113 victory against the Houston Rockets.

The Magic were once again led by Victor Oladipo who scored a season-high 33 points and added six rebounds and six assists. Nikola Vucevic put in some serious work for a third consecutive game scoring 25 points and adding 12 boards while mostly outplaying his counterpart Dwight Howard. The Rockets were led by James Harden who scored 26 points.

So what in the world is going on with the Magic right now? That is a fair question to ask.

Quite simply, the Magic are pushing the tempo whenever Elfrid Payton is in the game and it is paying huge dividends. The Magic have struggled mightily this year when asked to score in the half court thanks to lack of talent on the court and on the coaching staff. With the up-tempo style of play Orlando is doing its work early, before the defense gets set. And they are taking open looks whenever they are getting them.

Now while this is the main reason for Orlando’s recent success there is more to it.

Sir Charles In Charge

The Magic are actually playing better in the half court as well.

Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn deserves a lot of credit for getting Channing Frye open for good looks the past two games. Since Frye has been inserted back into the starting lineup the Magic have begun to move a tad more off the ball.

In the past few games, Vaughn has drawn up some plays where Magic players set screens off the ball to get Frye open looks at the three point line. Tonight that paid off in a major way as Frye scored 15 points all on three pointers, most of them open looks.

There is one more aspect that really sticks out to Orlando’s success the past two games.

Confidence. The Magic seem to have found a swagger as a team that they have not had all year. You can see it oozing out of players like Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic during the games.

There was a play in this game where Victor Oladipo absolutely murdered Trevor Ariza off the dribble. He crossed Ariza up, took a step back three and drilled it.

That is not a shot Oladipo normally takes but right now he is feeling it.

Heck, even Devyn Marble who was zero for eight tonight kept taking open threes even though he could not knock one down. The Magic are firing on all cylinders right now and the kind of confidence they have right now can really do great things for these young players as they develop.

More from Games

• Orlando Magic FIBA World Cup: Franz Wagner can be a star if he takes it
• 2023 FIBA World Cup: Germany’s success is a model for the Orlando Magic
• Orlando Magic 2023 FIBA World Cup: Paolo Banchero made the right choice with Team USA
• Orlando Magic 2023 FIBA World Cup: Moe Wagner vs. Goga Bitadze
• Orlando Magic FIBA World Cup: Paolo Banchero is blocking shots now

Game Notes:

• The Magic scored 120 points in back to back games against two of the top five defenses in the NBA. This is the same team who scored 88 against the 76ers not that long ago.
• The Magic shot the ball 90 times tonight. Nine more than their season average.
• Orlando shot 26 free throws tonight. Seven more than their season average.
• The Magic won their first rebounding battle in 14 games tonight. Houston is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA.
• This new pace has also helped Orlando force turnovers defensively. By coercing other teams to play quickly guys like Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton who thrive at jumping the passing lanes are getting more chances to do so.
• Luke Ridnour is really slowing down the tempo when he is in. He is going to need to do a better job of keeping the pace up before Orlando goes looking for a new point guard.
• I could see Aaron Gordon being extremely effective in this new up tempo system. When he comes back I imagine he will take Maurice Harkless‘ minutes (10:09 tonight).
• Speaking of Harkless, he looks just awful. His jumper has not really come all that close to falling and he is always scrambling defensively. I am understanding more and more why he was not playing.
• Victor Oladipo is on an absolute tear right now. Having the burden of running the offense taken from him has given him tons of confidence.
• Nikola Vucevic is beginning to transcend levels offensively. While Vuc still has a beautiful jumper he’s now using it to set up an attack off the dribble. It’s beautiful.

More from Orlando Magic Daily

• 2023 Orlando Magic Playoff Lessons: Philadelphia 76ers can’t seem to avoid conflict
• 5 worst starters of the Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal era
• Orlando Magic FIBA World Cup: Franz Wagner can be a star if he takes it
• Orlando Magic are going to find out who they are in 2024
• 2024 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Moe Wagner is the spark off of the bench

Rookie Report

Elfrid Payton: Payton once again was the key for Orlando’s high-octane offense tonight. While Payton was in the game, Orlando’s tempo was significantly faster than it was with Luke Ridnour in the game. Payton may not have statistically done much in the first three quarters but he was essential in getting Orlando’s offense roaring.

In the fourth quarter, however Payton was anything but quiet. Payton scored 12 of his 15 points and added what was likely the game clinching steal (which you saw above). While Payton is unlikely to win Rookie of the Year I would argue that if he keeps Orlando’s offense going like this he is the most valuable rookie in the NBA.

Devyn Marble: Statistically Marble was extremely unimpressive. He posted a Willie Green-type of stat line shooting 0 for 8 while only contributing four rebounds and two assists.

The thing about Marble is that he just is not a box score kind of player right now. He does all of the little things that do not show up in the box score, and he did that tonight. One of the things that I was most impressed with tonight was Marble’s confidence. Even though he did not make a three pointer he kept getting open looks and he kept taking them. That is a shot he can make, so it is great that he is confident enough to keep taking them.

Next: The Magic graded extremely well in the win over the Rockets