HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 27: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets gives James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets a hi-five during the game against the Orlando Magic on January 27, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
Orlando Magic Grades: Houston Rockets 103, Orlando Magic 98
James Harden scored 40 points and led a comeback for the Houston Rockets to beat the Orlando Magic late once again in another frustrating loss.
Final
Orlando Magic
98 
Houston Rockets
103 The Orlando Magic have seemingly played this game numerous times.
Take a big lead with some strong play only to watch their opponent inch their way back in and add a superstar flourish to the end. It has become so much of a pattern that it is almost expected.
Orlando went up by 16 points in the first half. The Houston Rockets came back. The Magic withstood every rally until the pressure ramped up at the end of the game.
James Harden continually applied that pressure.
He gave the Rockets the lead at 95-93. Harden then hit a 3-pointer to give the Rockets a three-point lead after the Magic answered. He added a step-back mid-range jumper for good measure to give the Rockets a five-point lead.
All the while the Magic’s hopes sank. Nikola Vucevic struggled once again to make shots down the stretch. Orlando had only 16 points in the final quarter. And the team’s hopes for a win and a sweep over a strong Houston team fell short.
The Rockets sent the Magic to 20-30 with a narrow 103-98 victory at Toyota Center on Sunday.
Orlando led for the majority of the game, but Houston stepped up their game when it mattered the most outscoring Orlando 29-16 in the final quarter. The Magic had been able to keep the Rockets at a distance, but they could only do it for so long.
Harden was himself, scoring 40 points on 14-for-27 shooting from the field. Evan Fournier was tasked with guarding James Harden and he did as well as most of the league. It was never a question of whether or not Harden would get off his shot, the question was when.
Orlando kept Harden and his teammates under wraps for most of the game. The team had some rough offensive moments but maintained the lead by attacking the glass effectively.
Orlando outrebounded Houston 56-39 and played superb team defense all night but just could not muster up enough offense to close out the game. Orlando shot just 40.2 percent from the floor and 10 for 35 from beyond the arc. Eventually, the offense dried up for the Magic.
The routine 3-pointers and 15-footers did not fall and the Rockets kept the ball out of Nikola Vucevic’s hands down the stretch.
Aaron Gordon was superb all night displaying an all-around game. He led the Orlando Magic in scoring with 23 points and showcased his full arsenal of offensive moves. 
The only knock on his game tonight was his three-point shooting. He knocked down 3-of-8 attempts but he missed some key ones that could have helped build the Magic’s lead, and the final make came in the final seconds with the game out of reach.
Aaron Gordon struggled some to break down P.J. Tucker off the dribble. He like the rest of the Magic had to figure out how to break down the Rockets’ switching defense. Gordon got himself going late and helped lift Orlando through some rough offensive times. His 10 rebounds were critical to securing the Magic’s lead throughout the game. Until the end.
" > AARON GORDON
F, Orlando MagicA-
Aaron Gordon was superb all night displaying an all-around game. He led the Orlando Magic in scoring with 23 points and showcased his full arsenal of offensive moves.
The only knock on his game tonight was his three-point shooting. He knocked down 3-of-8 attempts but he missed some key ones that could have helped build the Magic’s lead, and the final make came in the final seconds with the game out of reach.
Aaron Gordon struggled some to break down P.J. Tucker off the dribble. He like the rest of the Magic had to figure out how to break down the Rockets’ switching defense. Gordon got himself going late and helped lift Orlando through some rough offensive times. His 10 rebounds were critical to securing the Magic’s lead throughout the game. Until the end.
Evan Fournier had a good game with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three. He went 2 for 4 in that department. After a few games where he struggled so much from the floor, it was good to see him make such a clear impact on the floor. 
He also was not bad defensively. Even though Evan Fournier was tasked with guarding the best offensive player in basketball right now in James Harden, he held his own and recorded two steals on the night.
Still, Fournier missed some key shots down the stretch. And the result is ultimately all that matters for the Magic and this team as they try to stay in the Playoff race. Fournier has taken the losses as hard as anyone. And this one is as hard as it gets.
" > EVAN FOURNIER
G/F, Orlando MagicB
Evan Fournier had a good game with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three. He went 2 for 4 in that department. After a few games where he struggled so much from the floor, it was good to see him make such a clear impact on the floor.
He also was not bad defensively. Even though Evan Fournier was tasked with guarding the best offensive player in basketball right now in James Harden, he held his own and recorded two steals on the night.
Still, Fournier missed some key shots down the stretch. And the result is ultimately all that matters for the Magic and this team as they try to stay in the Playoff race. Fournier has taken the losses as hard as anyone. And this one is as hard as it gets.
NIKOLA VUCEVIC
C, Orlando MagicC+
Although Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, he did not have his best game. The Houston Rockets switched multiple players on him and he did not capitalize.
At one point, Nikola Vucevic had small forward P.J. Tucker guarding him in the post and Tucker pushed him all the way to the 3-point line. The Rockets’ smaller defenders were able to poke away at Vucevic and he uncharacteristically turned the ball over four times.
That was the biggest issue with him throughout the game. The Rockets got smaller players on him and he could not take advantage. That is where the Magic needed to get points and take advantage. Once again, Vucevic seemed to come up short at the end of the game. He made just 8 of his 19 shots and Vucevic certainly should feel like he left something on the board.
D.J. Augustin has to make open shots for the Orlando Magic to be successful and he did not do that against the Rockets. D.J. Augustin missed a wide-open three late in the fourth and shot an abysmal 33 percent from three on 2-for-6 shooting and 33 percent from the field on 3-for-9 shooting. 
He also only distributed three assists. The Magic need more out of the point guard position in order to win. Augustin was the odd man out and could not get the Magic flowing offensively. That is what the team needs and the weakness at point guard is most glaring late in games.
" > D.J. AUGUSTIN
PG, Orlando MagicC-
D.J. Augustin has to make open shots for the Orlando Magic to be successful and he did not do that against the Rockets. D.J. Augustin missed a wide-open three late in the fourth and shot an abysmal 33 percent from three on 2-for-6 shooting and 33 percent from the field on 3-for-9 shooting.
He also only distributed three assists. The Magic need more out of the point guard position in order to win. Augustin was the odd man out and could not get the Magic flowing offensively. That is what the team needs and the weakness at point guard is most glaring late in games.
Kenneth Faried, who scored 12 points. They let James Harden be James Harden and slowly let Chris Paul get back into the grove of things. 
Houston kept the game close and let their stars take over to close out the win. It was a slow burn to get them there. Harden was again the one carrying the team throughout the game.
The Rockets did not always need their best to beat the Magic. It took Houston a while to get itself going. And really it did not take a whole lot more than a killer fourth quarter to put this one away, relying heavily on Harden’s mastery down the stretch to win it in the end.
" > HOUSTON ROCKETS
29-20, 5th WestB
The Houston Rockets played to their strengths. They used the penetrating guards to get the most out of Kenneth Faried, who scored 12 points. They let James Harden be James Harden and slowly let Chris Paul get back into the grove of things.
Houston kept the game close and let their stars take over to close out the win. It was a slow burn to get them there. Harden was again the one carrying the team throughout the game.
The Rockets did not always need their best to beat the Magic. It took Houston a while to get itself going. And really it did not take a whole lot more than a killer fourth quarter to put this one away, relying heavily on Harden’s mastery down the stretch to win it in the end.
The Orlando Magic are back in action Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder to start a three-game homestand. They are four games back of the Charlotte Hornets for the final spot in the Playoffs.
