Rockets at Magic
James Harden will take his phenomenal run back out onto the road when he leads the Houston Rockets into Orlando on Sunday for a matchup with the Magic. Harden had 43 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Friday's 141-113 rout of Cleveland at home, becoming the first player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double while playing less than 30 minutes.
The reigning MVP has reached the 40-point mark seven times in his last nine games and he has three triple-doubles in that span, although he seems more interested in the team's current 13-3 run than any personal accomplishments. "I think we've all had that in the back of our mind. It was just a far reach earlier in the season," Harden told reporters Friday of the team's recent success. "Now it's pretty close. We've just got to continue to do what we've been doing. Playing well, taking care of opportunities like this tonight. Just continue to get better, strive to get better." Orlando snapped a four-game slide with a 105-103 win over the Boston Celtics at home Saturday night. Aaron Gordon scored 28 points for the Magic, who rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to improve to 11-11 at home.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (24-17): Houston continues to operate without guards Chris Paul (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (knee), although the latter could return during the team's upcoming three-game homestand, which starts Monday against Memphis. While Harden is carrying the bulk of the load, center Clint Capela is providing some support with averages of 22 points and 13.6 rebounds in five games this month. Harden faced the Magic just once last season but he made it count with a career-high 60 points to go along with 11 assists, 10 rebounds and four steals.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (18-24): Orlando went 1-5 on a six-game road trip and each of its four straight losses to end the voyage came by at least 10 points, but the rally on Saturday in front of the home crowd signaled a possible turnaround for a team that has its sights set on a solid stretch run. "We've got 40 games left," coach Steve Clifford told reporters Saturday. "We're not going to go 35-5, but we're going to play meaningful games. That's what this season is about." Terrence Ross chipped in 25 points off the bench against the Celtics and Evan Fournier followed up a one-point effort on 0-of-8 shooting in Wednesday's loss at Utah with 18 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Rockets SF Danuel House Jr. has 12 3-pointers over his last six games and five baskets inside the arc.
2. Magic C Nikola Vucevic is averaging 14.5 rebounds over his last four games.
3. Houston has won 10 of the last 12 meetings.