The Orlando Magic put together a brilliant gameplan and executed it to perfection to slow down the Houston Rockets and silence their high-powered duo.
There were about 90 seconds left in the first half. The Orlando Magic clung to a 14-point lead and had to get to halftime. This time of the game would prove to be one of the most important for the team.
Allow James Harden or Russell Westbrook to get going and close the deficit and suddenly the Orlando Magic would face a game in the second half against a dangerous Houston Rockets team. Win the moment, and the Magic would have that much more cushion to play with for the second half.
A chance to put a stamp on this road trip and score a big win over one of the Western Conference’s better teams.
The Magic not only put a stamp on the game. They put their foot down.
Orlando went on an 11-0 run to take a 25-point lead at halftime. That included two possessions that completely characterized the effort from both teams.
Aaron Gordon got the ball late in the shot clock with little time or space. He calmly stepped back and drained the 3-pointe,r drawing a foul on DeMarre Carroll. That further frustrated the Rockets and they picked up a technical foul. It was a five-point possession.
On a scramble a few moments later, D.J. Augustin poked the ball free and dove over a Rockets player to squirt the ball forward to Michael Carter-Williams. He finished the basket.
Orlando was by far the more energetic and dialed in team. And it continued for much of the second half. The Rockets never got closer than 21 points until the final moment of the game as the Magic won 126-106 at Toyota Center on Sunday.
Orlando executed a flawless gameplan, switching and shadowing Harden everywhere on the court. Aaron Gordon got the call to defend Russell Westbrook for much of the night and kept him from getting into second gear and attacking the basket.
The team bottled up the lane and contested 3-point shots. They forced turnovers and they got to the lane. And, using their size over the Rockets’ center-less lineups, they attacked the offensive glass mercilessly.
Orlando had everything working and they zoomed past the Rockets as the more aggressive and crisper team. It was a revelatory performance for the Magic and one of their best wins of the season.
The Orlando Magic are now 29-35, one-half game behind the Brooklyn Nets for seventh and 5.5 games ahead of the Washington Wizards for eighth. The Magic’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 13 Magic wins or 13 Wizards losses.
The Orlando Magic conclude their road trip Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.