Magic at Rockets
The Houston Rockets got three full days off at home over Super Bowl weekend for a much-welcomed rest after a nearly four-week stretch in which they dropped eight of 14. The Rockets return to action seeking their first back-to-back wins since a nine-game winning streak came to an end on Jan. 10 when they host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Houston leaned on All-Star point guard James Harden for 42 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on Friday and pulled out a 121-117 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls. "Our defense won us that game, and we got stops and we got some shots to fall," Harden told reporters. "But that's what it's going to be. We can't make 50 3s every night like we want to, but we have to find other ways to win and tonight was one of those wins." The Magic could use some help on offense and defense after getting rocked 113-86 at Atlanta on Saturday - their 13th loss in the last 17 games. "You keep trying - that's the only thing you can do," Orlando coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "You lose a game and you come back and get to work and see if you can reevaluate and tighten the screws on things in place. And whatever kind of moves that you need to make, you make them – whether it’s scheme, rotation or whatever."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Florida (Orlando), ROOT (Houston)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-33): Orlando hit the road for its two-game trip feeling like it could be a team that gets hot and makes a run up the standings after securing a 102-94 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, but Saturday's performance sent the emotions in the other direction. "Right now, we’re are at the point where it’s just mental," power forward Serge Ibaka told the team's website. "We try and some nights it works like (Friday) and then there are nights like (Saturday) when it doesn’t. We can’t just sit down and not try. We have to move on and focus on the next game." Ibaka scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting Friday but dropped to five points on 2-of-9 from the floor Saturday.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (37-17): Houston has a chance to get back into a groove with each of its next six games against teams with sub-.500 records, and four of those six at home. Harden found his form in the last two games, averaging 41.5 points, 10 rebounds and 8.5 assists after combining to go 6-of-26 from the floor in the previous two games. Harden got some help on Friday from shooting guard Eric Gordon, who scored 21 points while going 5-of-10 from 3-point range and is averaging 18.8 points and shooting 43.7 percent from beyond the arc in wins but dips to 13.9 points and 26.3 percent in losses.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SG Evan Fournier is shooting 34.9 percent in four games since returning from a heel injury.
2. Rockets PF Ryan Anderson went scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting Friday to snap a string of six straight games scoring in double figures.
3. Houston took the first meeting 100-93 in Orlando on Jan. 6 despite Harden struggling to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.