Through 2 Quarters
Down six at the end of last quarter, the Orlando Magic have now snagged the lead. They have emerged as the frontrunner at halftime and are ahead of the Houston Rockets 58-51.
The Magic have been led by power forward Chuma Okeke, who so far has ten points and two assists in addition to seven boards. One thing to keep an eye out for is Jalen Suggs’ foul situation as he currently sits at four.
Small forward Jae’Sean Tate has led the way so far for Houston, as he has nine points and two assists along with two steals and two rebounds.
This is the first time Orlando has been ahead going into the third quarter in the past five games.
Who’s Playing
Houston @ Orlando
Current Records: Houston 15-43; Orlando 13-47
What to Know
The Orlando Magic are 3-10 against the Houston Rockets since November of 2015, but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Friday. After a few days’ rest for both teams, they will meet up at 7 p.m. ET Feb. 25 at Amway Center. Both teams were wiped off the court in their previous games and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.
The Magic found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unfortunate 130-109 punch to the gut against the Atlanta Hawks last Wednesday. Orlando was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 72-53. Point guard Cole Anthony put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 23 points and five assists along with seven rebounds. Anthony’s performance made up for a slower contest against the Denver Nuggets last week.
Meanwhile,’s it’s hard to picture a worse loss than the 142-111 bruising that Houston suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers last week. The Rockets were down 107-79 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Shooting guard Jalen Green (21 points) and small forward Jae’Sean Tate (19 points) were the top scorers for Houston.
Orlando is the favorite in this one, with an expected 3.5-point margin of victory. Their home court has been no bettor’s paradise, though, as they’ve failed to beat the spread in 19 of their 26 home games.
The losses put Orlando at 13-47 and Houston at 15-43. Two numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: The Magic have only been able to knock down 43.30% percent of their shots, which is the third lowest field goal percentage in the league. The Rockets have experienced some struggles of their own as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 48.30% from the floor on average, which is the highest shooting percentage allowed in the league. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Amway Center — Orlando, Florida
- TV: ATTSN Southwest
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $15.00
Odds
The Magic are a 3.5-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Magic as a 4-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Houston have won ten out of their last 13 games against Orlando.
- Dec 03, 2021 – Houston 118 vs. Orlando 116
- Apr 18, 2021 – Houston 114 vs. Orlando 110
- Jan 08, 2021 – Houston 132 vs. Orlando 90
- Mar 08, 2020 – Orlando 126 vs. Houston 106
- Dec 13, 2019 – Houston 130 vs. Orlando 107
- Jan 27, 2019 – Houston 103 vs. Orlando 98
- Jan 13, 2019 – Orlando 116 vs. Houston 109
- Jan 30, 2018 – Houston 114 vs. Orlando 107
- Jan 03, 2018 – Houston 116 vs. Orlando 98
- Feb 07, 2017 – Houston 128 vs. Orlando 104
- Jan 06, 2017 – Houston 100 vs. Orlando 93
- Dec 23, 2015 – Orlando 104 vs. Houston 101
- Nov 04, 2015 – Houston 119 vs. Orlando 114
Injury Report for Orlando
- R.J. Hampton: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)
- Moe Wagner: Out (Ribs)
- Markelle Fultz: Out (Knee)
- Jonathan Isaac: Out (Knee)
- Bol Bol: Out for the Season (Foot)
Injury Report for Houston
- Usman Garuba: Out (Wrist)
- John Wall: Out (Not Injury Related)
KVSP