Orlando Magic push Houston Rockets to their limits in overtime loss

The Orlando Magic continue to push some top teams to the limit and give themselves a chance to win. That is only going so far as the team lost again.

The Orlando Magic continue to make steady progres. That much is clear. The results are not there. The trust in the process and the principles of this team have come a long way since Friday night’s collapse against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It showed as the Magic tried to make one final push and comeback to take out the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Even with Elfrid Payton taking some hurried shots late and the offense struggling to generate good looks consistently, the defense was there.

There was definitely some mistakes and some luck helped clear the path — Corey Brewer missed a pair of free throws to keep the Rockets up two instead of three or four with 13 seconds remaining.

Evan Fournier drove on a pick and roll, getting around Dwight Howard to get to the basket. He was fouled and hit both free throw to force overtime.

The Magic had done enough to get to the extra frame. But once there, the Magic could not execute. The mental mistakes and fatigue of a back to back caught up to them.

Aaron Gordon and Tobias Harris missed layups while Dwight Howard cleaned up an offensive rebound and James Harden hit an and-1 bank shot from the foul line to put the Rockets up and allow them to hang on.

Shabazz Napier‘s 3-pointer fell no good and the Rockets held on for a 119-114 victory Wednesday night.

Evan Fournier (ORL) — 29 pts.; Victor Oladipo (ORL) — 18 pts., 7 rebs.
James Harden (HOU) — 28 pts.; Dwight Howard (HOU) — 23 pts., 14 rebs.

The Magic had to clamp down heavily on defense and make some big plays on a night when the team was struggling defensively for a good chunk of the night.

The game though came down to execution on the offensive end and the Magic struggled mightily in the overtime period to get the ball in the basket, shooting just 2 for 9.

As noted, Orlando just struggled to execute and take advantage of the opportunities they got. Harris worked for two offensive rebounds early in the overtime period but the Magic failed to convert. Gordon also tried a difficult reverse layup as Dwight Howard came to challenge that missed.

These would come back to haunt Orlando.

So too would the numerous shots the Magic missed short as fatigue appeared to set in for this group. The Rockets kept chugging along, showing the difference between an experienced team and one still learning how to finish games.

The late-game execution for Orlando was not clean. But unlike previous outings, the Magic were game defensively. This was hardly a collapse. It was probably because of the team’s defense through the fourth quarter, where Houston scored only 20 points despite shooting 50 percent from the floor, that Orlando stayed in the game and had a chance for overtime.

And when the chips were on the table in regulation, the Magic found a way to come back every time and send the game to overtime.

It was not the prettiest effort throughout for either team as both teams scored at alarming rates.

Houston scored 68 points in the first half and seemed to be getting whatever it wanted offensively — mostly Trevor Ariza 3-pointers and Dwight Howard attacks at the basket. Orlando hung around, taking advantage of the few stops they did to get in transition.

Pace was a big part of the game as the Magic were successful in the first quarter at converting misses into fast break opportunities. Orlando scored 24 fast break points to Houston’s nine in the game. The Magic were able to push the pace and get easy buckets.

That would prove to be something the Magic would need throughout. The team plays so much better when they are able to get in transition and speed things up.

Where they are not good is when they have to play fast and under pressure. That remains a sore subject with this team. Something they will have to grow and get more comfortable with.

If the Magic’s game against the Rockets was any sign of progress, it was the defense remained solid and strong to give the offense an opportunity to execute. And in the brief moments the Magic did execute, it worked out well.

The Magic finished with a lineup of Shabazz Napier, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Dewayne Dedmon.

Nikola Vucevic left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right knee. Elfrid Payton made some hurried offensive decisions and Scott Skiles does not quite trust his shot. Aaron Gordon had earned his minutes over Harris with his defense and hustle, helping corral James Harden at times and holding off Trevor Ariza’s 3-point barrage.

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The Magic though struggled to find any consistency or get the ball to their best player late in the game. Whoever that might be. There was no cohesion, and that was shown in the Magic’s final play down three with seven seconds left.

Oladipo struggled to inbound the ball and gave it to Napier in the corner. It was not the first time — that ended early in overtime with Napier trying to throw the ball off Ty Lawson and hitting the out of bounds line.

The second time saw Napier get a difficult shot off over a defender that fell no good. Execution is still a problem. Orlando is still learning how to perform when the game matters.

Until then they can continue to push these great teams around and show signs of life and progress. They have done all that.

The Magic still lost — no matter the excuse, and it certainly looked like the second night of a back to back played a role late in this game with the team’s shots.

The fight continues for the Magic.