The Magic Retrieved Control By Beating The Rockets 24–7 to End The Quarter
Date : 26th October, 2023
Location: Orlando, United States
THE SOIL – A first-round matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets made perfect sense. Following years of rebuilding, both teams are now looking to make major progress in their personal development.
Of course, it’s imperative to refrain from making any firm judgements based on a single game, regardless of when it occurs in the season or where it is played. Still, the match between these two groups seemed to offer a useful benchmark for evaluating their development.
Should this idea prove to be accurate, the Magic have every right to rejoice. They played with the perfect amount of intensity in Wednesday’s 116-86 triumph, and their defensive abilities were as good as expected. This 30-point victory marks the biggest victory margin for the squad on opening night in its history.
The Magic's Bench Outperformed The Rockets' Bench By A Wide Margin
Houston, which had a busy offseason and signed a few free agents like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, was effectively limited by Orlando. They only let up 32 points in the paint against the Rockets. In addition, the Magic controlled the rebounding glass, outrebounding the Rockets 56 to 31. These numbers are significant, particularly in light of the fact that Houston finished fifth in points scored in the paint and fourth in rebounds last season.
The Magic’s bench outperformed the Rockets’ bench by a wide margin (a 59-27 scoring differential), which was genuinely outstanding. Notably, Cole Anthony led all scorers with 20 points. Anthony recently signed a contract deal on Tuesday. Jonathan Isaac also contributed 11 points to the team’s total while showcasing his impressive defensive abilities in his first regular season return since last February.
The Magic Recovered Control Beating The Rockets 24–7 to End The Quarter
Among the starting lineup, Franz Wagner led the way with 19 points, and Paolo Banchero showed off his flexibility with a dozen points, five rebounds, five assists, and a smart steal.
With the exception of the first few minutes of the third quarter, when Houston cut the deficit to just one point after trailing by 17 points at halftime, Orlando dominated the most of the game. Still, the Magic quickly reclaimed control, defeating the Rockets 24–7 to end the quarter.
Magic to Leave for A Four-Game Road Trip Through Western United States
There was a lot of talk about the Magic’s potential to establish themselves as a top 10 defensive team this season over the summer, and especially during training camp. Even if it’s early, the performance they gave on Wednesday in front of a boisterous, full arena gives hope that they may accomplish this.
The true test will be to see if this momentum and resolve can continue. This Friday, the Magic will leave for a four-game road trip through the Western United States, starting in Portland.