Rockets run away from Magic in 128-104 win
HOUSTON -- James Harden posted his 43rd double-double and Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon sank four 3-pointers apiece as the Houston Rockets claimed a 128-104 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at Toyota Center.
Harden had 25 points and 13 assists to lead the Rockets (38-17) to their eighth win in their last 10 meetings with the Magic (20-34).
Ariza scored 20 points, 14 in the first quarter, and Gordon finished with 18 off the bench as Houston pushed to a big lead in the first half and stretched it out late when the Magic rallied.
Patrick Beverley added 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists as six Rockets scored in double figures. Center Clint Capela produced 17 points and nine boards.
Magic forward Serge Ibaka scored a game-high 28 points and guard Evan Fournier added 21 points. Center Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 19 rebounds.
The Rockets finished 16 of 38 from behind the arc (42.1 percent) but also totaled 52 points in the paint while making 24 of 36 free throws. The stressed the Magic defense throughout, doing so while committing just 11 turnovers.
Three bursts fueled the Rockets' run to the lead. The first was a 15-2 rally in the first quarter that included a trio of 3-pointers against two Orlando free throws.
The Magic suffered a similar drought bridging the first and second quarters, getting two D.J. Augustin free throws while the Rockets reeled off a 24-2 run.
Reserve center Nene emerged from the bench and poured in 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor during that stretch. When Sam Dekker stroked a 3-pointer with 7:39 remaining in the half, the Rockets led 50-30 en route to a second 35-point quarter.
Houston stretched its lead to 23 before a dreadful stretch of defense late in the third quarter allowed the Magic to climb back into contention.
With the Rockets unable to defend without fouling, Fournier and Augustin converted six consecutive free throws to cut the deficit to nine points.
Bismack Biyombo added a baseline jumper with 30.6 seconds left in the third quarter and just like that the Rockets found themselves in another fight down the stretch after blowing a sizable lead.
NOTES: Magic G Evan Fournier continues to search for consistency after missing seven games last month with a sore right foot. After his first career double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) against Toronto on Feb. 3, Fournier posted nine points (on 3-of-12 shooting from the field), four rebounds and four turnovers against Atlanta the next night. ... The Rockets returned to action after enjoying a three-day break between games, their longest of the season. Houston last played Friday, an overtime win over the Chicago Bulls, and entered Tuesday having played a league-high 54 games. ... As part of their 50th anniversary celebration, the Rockets honored Hall of Fame C Hakeem Olajuwon. He is the franchise leader in scoring (26,511 points), rebounds (13,382) and steals (2,088), and is the NBA leader with 3,830 blocked shots.