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FINAL: Houston Rockets 96 - Orlando Magic 94
January 4, 2008 - Amway Arena
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By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
Adonal Foyle's tip-in at the buzzer was ruled a no-basket as the Magic's fourth quarter comeback falls just short losing to the Houston Rockets 96-94 at Amway Arena.
The Magic trailed by as many as 12 points early in the fourth quarter and stormed back tying the ballgame at 94 with a Rashard Lewis three-pointer before Rafer Alston hit the eventual game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 20 points off the bench and Hedo Turkoglu added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.
Houston (16-17) was led by Yao Ming who paced the Rockets with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwight Howard's 16 straight double-double streak was snapped when Howard fouled late in the fourth quarter as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Orlando (22-13) have a couple days to recover as they head back out to the west coast to face the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night.
FOURTH QUARTER
Howard heads to the line early to start the fourth and converts three out of four to bring the Magic within one but Ming answers with a hook shot.
Alston caps a Rocket run by nailing a three pushing the Rockets' lead to double digits at 85-75.
Turk ends the Rocket streak with a jumper from the top of the key. The Rockets get an offensive rebound and hits a layup...Houston is outscoring the Magic 16-2 on second chance points and have increased their lead to 12 at 89-77 halfway through the final period.
Dooling hits a much needed three-pointer but the Rockets answer to keep their lead at double digits.
The fourth quarter is "Hedo Time" and Turk nets a jumper right on cue. Rashard and Dwight combine for three points from the charity stripe as the Magic have pulled to within six points.
Nelson hits a huge three-pointer to trim the Magic deficit to three points at 91-88 as we near the two minute mark in the fourth quarter.
This would be a huge win for the Magic at home if they could come back and win a game against a good team to give them the confidence they need at Amway.
Yao gets a big bucket to push the Rocket advantage back to five but Nelson answers with a three-pointer from the corner making it a two point game.
Dwight Howard fouls out sending Yao to the line where he splits the pair...Rockets lead 94-91 with 51.3 seconds to go.
Rashard brings the house down as he nails a three from the corner to tie up the ballgame at 94 with 20 seconds left.
The Rockets set a high screen and roll for Yao and Alston...Alston takes the ball to the hoop and scores giving the Rockets a two point lead with 4.3 seconds left.
Lewis takes the ball to the basket...misses, but Foyle tips in at the buzzer...the play will be reviewed.
The play is called a no basket...no comment.
Final: Houston Rockets 96, Orlando Magic 94
THIRD QUARTER
The Magic start the second half off strong as Lewis nails a three and Howard buckets a layup giving the Magic a 54-51 lead.
The Rockets get back-to-back hoops to regain the lead but Dooling hits a jumper to answer giving the Magic the lead. To save from keep repeating myself I will just say that both teams trade hoops and Arroyo hits a basket to put the Magic ahead 60-57, four minutes into the third period.
Bonzi Wells ties up the ballgame at 62 and puts his team ahead on their next possession by stroking two free-throws.
Howard picks up his fourth foul and heads to the bench with 12 points and four rebounds. A Magic turnover leads to a fast-break layin by Luther Head as the Rockets go up by four at the halfway point in the third period.
Jameer Nelson has been solid tonight and his 12th point off the bench ties the ballgame back up at 66.
The teams go back and forth again and Nelson buckets another hoop tying the game at 70 as we head inside of a minute to go in the third.
Shane Battier nails a three to end the quarter as the Magic trail 76-72 heading into the final quarter.
End of Third: Houston Rockets 76, Orlando Magic 72
SECOND QUARTER
The second quarter starts slow with both teams struggling to find their mark as each team buckets three points making the score 35-28 three minutes into the second.
Side note...my best friend Danny who came to the game from Ohio tonight somehow got onto the floor to shoot for a trip to Disney at the end of the first, and he won. Really?
Jameer Nelson buckets back-to-back hoops and has 10 points off the bench but the Magic still trail 42-33 halfway through the second.
Nelson spreads the wealth feeding Dwight a pretty alley-oop which he flushes to bring the Magic within six at 43-37.
Howard throws in a tip-dunk but Shane Battier answers with a hook shot. Turk throws in two from the charity stripe to bring the Magic within six points as we head to the two minute warning in the first half.
A Foyle block leads to a transition layup by Turk and Dooling steals a ball on the next defensive possession, goes coast-to-coast and draws a foul. Dooling buckets both free-throws and trims the Rocket lead to 49-47 with 1:18 to go in the half.
Hedo finds Foyle with a nice dish and Foyle converts a layup to make the score 51-49 Rockets as the half concludes.
Halftime: Houston Rockets 51, Orlando Magic 49
FIRST QUARTER
What's up Magic fans and welcome to Amway Arena for tonight's game against the Houston Rockets.
Two very large human beings meet at half court for tonight's opening tip as Dwight Howard and Yao compete for the game's first possession. Joining Howard in the Magic starting lineup is Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis. The Rockets counter with Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, and Ming.
The Magic control the ball for tonight's first possession and Hedo takes it to the basket drawing a goal tending call. The game is off to a very fast pace with each team sprinting up and down the floor taking shots early in the shot clock. Perhaps one of the reasons for the fast pace is the addition of Keyon Dooling into the starting lineup. I am assuming Stan Van Gundy started him to counter Houston's small and quick back court of Rafer Alston and Luther Head.
Alston drills a three to give the Rockets an 11-4 lead three minutes into the opening period forcing a timeout from Van Gundy.
Out of the timeout...the Magic isolate Lewis at the top of the key and he takes it to the basket drawing a foul. He converts both from the charity stripe.
The Magic can't seem to stop the Rockets as Luther Head buckets a jumper to give Houston a 17-11 lead. The Rockets have came out on fire converting on eight of their first 11 field goal attempts.
Howard splits a pair from the free-throw line as the Magic trail 21-15 halfway through the first.
Yao, aka the largest individual I have ever spoken to, hits a jumper to increase the Rocket lead. Yao has gotten the better of Howard thus far scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
Howard goes right at Yao and throws in a hook to make the score 25-18 with three minutes remaining in the opening period.
Rafer Alston hits a three as I regret not starting him on Orlandomagic.com's fantasy team but back-to-back buckets by Bogans and Evans cut the Rocket lead to five as we head inside of a minute.
Yao tipi-toes a dunk and Jameer nails a three as the quarter comes to a close with the Rockets leading the Magic 32-25.
End of First: Houston Rockets 32, Orlando Magic 25
KEYS TO THE GAME
Score 100 Points
The Magic are going up against a good defensive team in the Houston Rockets but the Rockets are 0-9 when allowing 100 plus points to their opponents. So...easy game-plan, score over 100 points.
Attack Yao
As stated below...the Magic's game-plan tonight will be to attack Yao on both sides of the floor. If they can attack Yao, get him in foul trouble or make him tired, the Rockets have no one else on their team who can really hurt the Magic.
SHOOTAROUND
After a hard practice Thursday at RDV Sportsplex, the Magic returned to Amway Arena Friday morning for shootaround as they plan to face the Houston Rockets.
Tracy McGrady will not play, still nursing a knee injury, so the Magic's game-plan changes focusing most of their attention to Yao Ming.
Rashard Lewis starts at power forward and will guard Houston's Chuck Hayes who doesn't pose a significant offensive threat averaging just 3.3 points, so the Magic plan to take advantage of Hayes' inabilities using Lewis to help on Ming.
"I will be starting out on Chuck Hayes but I will be shadowing Yao a lot," Lewis added. "I really won't guard Hayes unless he is under the basket, Dwight is going to front Yao and I will be the backside help."
Offensively, the Magic intend to attack Yao hoping to get him in foul trouble while making him work hard causing him to be fatigued.
"We want to work him hard at both ends and make him fatigued later on in the game," commented head coach Stan Van Gundy.
"We are going to run a lot of pick-and-rolls with Yao Ming," Lewis elaborated, "Yao doesn't like to come out of the paint so we are going to want to bring him away from the basket and attack him off of the pick-and-roll."
With McGrady out...and all the focus on Yao...the Rockets game-plan changes drastically from game to game.
"Tracy is the most important player on our team," added Yao. "It is hard for our team because our game-plans don't work without him, so we have to come up with different ways to win."
Coach Van Gundy added upon Yao's comments and explained how different Houston plays without McGrady.
"Without Tracy their tempo on offense is a lot faster because they will play with two point guards."
Van Gundy continued, "As great as Tracy is, when he's on the floor, some of his teammates tend to stand around and watch him play but with him out they are a little more active offensively."
Orlando appears to have a formidable game-plan in place as they aim to grab their 23rd win of the season.
PREGAME
More than three weeks ago, the Magic fought for a tough 97-92 road win against the Houston Rockets thanks to a great team effort.
In that game, Rockets' superstar and former Magic all-star, Tracy McGrady re-injured his knee and played only 18 minutes scoring three points on just 1-of-10 shooting.
Since then...McGrady has missed four out of Houston's last seven games with the Rockets posting a 1-3 record in his absence.
T-Mac has missed Houston's last three games and is questionable for Friday night's game as the Rockets face the Magic at Amway Arena.
McGrady leads the Rockets in scoring at 22.8 points per game and combined with Yao Ming...the tandem combines for nearly 47 percent of their team's scoring out-put.
With T-Mac's availability in question, Ming will not only have to carry much of the Rockets' work load, but will also have to deal with reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month Dwight Howard.
The Howard versus Ming match-up will more than likely feature the two starting all-star centers for their respective conferences as Howard leads all Eastern Conference centers and Ming is the sizeable leader in the Western Conference.
Howard outplayed Ming in the pair's last meeting scoring 21 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking three shots while leading his team to victory.
Ming comes into Friday nights match-up averaging 21.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.
Despite a 15-17 record, Houston has played well defensively ranking in the league's top five in opponents' points per game (94.1), opponents' field-goal percentage (44%), rebounding (44.4), and block shots (5.5).
Orlando will look to break down Houston's defense as the Southeast Division leading Magic aim to begin another winning streak.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Jan. 4 vs. Houston (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 20-19 all-time vs. Houston (12-7 at home, 8-12 on the road) during regular season action, including 1-0 this season (see recap below)…The Magic went 0-2 last season against the Rockets…The Magic are 0-4 in postseason play against the Rockets (1995 NBA Finals)...Orlando has lost nine of the last 11 regular season matchups with the Rockets…However, they have won 16 of the last 26 matchups overall, including 12 straight wins from Nov. 23, 1994-Feb. 16, 2001...The 12 straight wins ties Orlando's all-time longest winning streak vs. any opponent (also 12 straight wins over Denver)...The Magic have won 10 of the last 15 regular season meetings in the series at home and seven of the last 12 played in Houston…Keith Bogans played in 33 outings at the end of the 2005-06 campaign with the Rockets…Rashard Lewis attended Elisk High School in nearby Alief, TX…Assistant Coaches Patrick Ewing (2004-06) and Steve Clifford (2003-07) served on the bench with Houston as assistants…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Houston, see p. 251 of the media guide…Dec. 19 @ Houston – Magic 97, Rockets 92: Six Magic players scored in double figures, led by Dwight Howard with 21 points and 11 rebounds, as Orlando defeated Houston, 97-92, at Toyota Center. Keyon Dooling came off the bench to score 15 points, while Keith Bogans recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Yao Ming led the way for the Rockets with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Houston led by as many as 11 points during the first quarter, but Orlando came storming back with a 15-0 run during the second quarter. The Magic led 44-40 at halftime and extended their lead to 71-62 after the third quarter. Houston would trim the deficit to 93-92 following two free throws by Rafer Alston with 12.9 seconds left. However, it would be as close as the Rockets would get. Dooling and Hedo Turkoglu hit four free throws during the final seconds to seal the win for Orlando.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. ROCKETS: 39 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Houston, 2-16-02)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 37 pts., Yao Ming (@ Houston, 3-11-07; @ Orlando, 1-25-04)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| ROCKETS | 32 | 19 | 25 | 20 | 96 |
| MAGIC | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 94 |
By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
Adonal Foyle's tip-in at the buzzer was ruled a no-basket as the Magic's fourth quarter comeback falls just short losing to the Houston Rockets 96-94 at Amway Arena.
The Magic trailed by as many as 12 points early in the fourth quarter and stormed back tying the ballgame at 94 with a Rashard Lewis three-pointer before Rafer Alston hit the eventual game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 20 points off the bench and Hedo Turkoglu added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.
Houston (16-17) was led by Yao Ming who paced the Rockets with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwight Howard's 16 straight double-double streak was snapped when Howard fouled late in the fourth quarter as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Orlando (22-13) have a couple days to recover as they head back out to the west coast to face the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night.
FOURTH QUARTER
Howard heads to the line early to start the fourth and converts three out of four to bring the Magic within one but Ming answers with a hook shot.
Alston caps a Rocket run by nailing a three pushing the Rockets' lead to double digits at 85-75.
Turk ends the Rocket streak with a jumper from the top of the key. The Rockets get an offensive rebound and hits a layup...Houston is outscoring the Magic 16-2 on second chance points and have increased their lead to 12 at 89-77 halfway through the final period.
Dooling hits a much needed three-pointer but the Rockets answer to keep their lead at double digits.
The fourth quarter is "Hedo Time" and Turk nets a jumper right on cue. Rashard and Dwight combine for three points from the charity stripe as the Magic have pulled to within six points.
Nelson hits a huge three-pointer to trim the Magic deficit to three points at 91-88 as we near the two minute mark in the fourth quarter.
This would be a huge win for the Magic at home if they could come back and win a game against a good team to give them the confidence they need at Amway.
Yao gets a big bucket to push the Rocket advantage back to five but Nelson answers with a three-pointer from the corner making it a two point game.
Dwight Howard fouls out sending Yao to the line where he splits the pair...Rockets lead 94-91 with 51.3 seconds to go.
Rashard brings the house down as he nails a three from the corner to tie up the ballgame at 94 with 20 seconds left.
The Rockets set a high screen and roll for Yao and Alston...Alston takes the ball to the hoop and scores giving the Rockets a two point lead with 4.3 seconds left.
Lewis takes the ball to the basket...misses, but Foyle tips in at the buzzer...the play will be reviewed.
The play is called a no basket...no comment.
Final: Houston Rockets 96, Orlando Magic 94
THIRD QUARTER
The Magic start the second half off strong as Lewis nails a three and Howard buckets a layup giving the Magic a 54-51 lead.
The Rockets get back-to-back hoops to regain the lead but Dooling hits a jumper to answer giving the Magic the lead. To save from keep repeating myself I will just say that both teams trade hoops and Arroyo hits a basket to put the Magic ahead 60-57, four minutes into the third period.
Bonzi Wells ties up the ballgame at 62 and puts his team ahead on their next possession by stroking two free-throws.
Howard picks up his fourth foul and heads to the bench with 12 points and four rebounds. A Magic turnover leads to a fast-break layin by Luther Head as the Rockets go up by four at the halfway point in the third period.
Jameer Nelson has been solid tonight and his 12th point off the bench ties the ballgame back up at 66.
The teams go back and forth again and Nelson buckets another hoop tying the game at 70 as we head inside of a minute to go in the third.
Shane Battier nails a three to end the quarter as the Magic trail 76-72 heading into the final quarter.
End of Third: Houston Rockets 76, Orlando Magic 72
SECOND QUARTER
The second quarter starts slow with both teams struggling to find their mark as each team buckets three points making the score 35-28 three minutes into the second.
Side note...my best friend Danny who came to the game from Ohio tonight somehow got onto the floor to shoot for a trip to Disney at the end of the first, and he won. Really?
Jameer Nelson buckets back-to-back hoops and has 10 points off the bench but the Magic still trail 42-33 halfway through the second.
Nelson spreads the wealth feeding Dwight a pretty alley-oop which he flushes to bring the Magic within six at 43-37.
Howard throws in a tip-dunk but Shane Battier answers with a hook shot. Turk throws in two from the charity stripe to bring the Magic within six points as we head to the two minute warning in the first half.
A Foyle block leads to a transition layup by Turk and Dooling steals a ball on the next defensive possession, goes coast-to-coast and draws a foul. Dooling buckets both free-throws and trims the Rocket lead to 49-47 with 1:18 to go in the half.
Hedo finds Foyle with a nice dish and Foyle converts a layup to make the score 51-49 Rockets as the half concludes.
Halftime: Houston Rockets 51, Orlando Magic 49
FIRST QUARTER
What's up Magic fans and welcome to Amway Arena for tonight's game against the Houston Rockets.
Two very large human beings meet at half court for tonight's opening tip as Dwight Howard and Yao compete for the game's first possession. Joining Howard in the Magic starting lineup is Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis. The Rockets counter with Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, and Ming.
The Magic control the ball for tonight's first possession and Hedo takes it to the basket drawing a goal tending call. The game is off to a very fast pace with each team sprinting up and down the floor taking shots early in the shot clock. Perhaps one of the reasons for the fast pace is the addition of Keyon Dooling into the starting lineup. I am assuming Stan Van Gundy started him to counter Houston's small and quick back court of Rafer Alston and Luther Head.
Alston drills a three to give the Rockets an 11-4 lead three minutes into the opening period forcing a timeout from Van Gundy.
Out of the timeout...the Magic isolate Lewis at the top of the key and he takes it to the basket drawing a foul. He converts both from the charity stripe.
The Magic can't seem to stop the Rockets as Luther Head buckets a jumper to give Houston a 17-11 lead. The Rockets have came out on fire converting on eight of their first 11 field goal attempts.
Howard splits a pair from the free-throw line as the Magic trail 21-15 halfway through the first.
Yao, aka the largest individual I have ever spoken to, hits a jumper to increase the Rocket lead. Yao has gotten the better of Howard thus far scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
Howard goes right at Yao and throws in a hook to make the score 25-18 with three minutes remaining in the opening period.
Rafer Alston hits a three as I regret not starting him on Orlandomagic.com's fantasy team but back-to-back buckets by Bogans and Evans cut the Rocket lead to five as we head inside of a minute.
Yao tipi-toes a dunk and Jameer nails a three as the quarter comes to a close with the Rockets leading the Magic 32-25.
End of First: Houston Rockets 32, Orlando Magic 25
KEYS TO THE GAME
Score 100 Points
The Magic are going up against a good defensive team in the Houston Rockets but the Rockets are 0-9 when allowing 100 plus points to their opponents. So...easy game-plan, score over 100 points.
Attack Yao
As stated below...the Magic's game-plan tonight will be to attack Yao on both sides of the floor. If they can attack Yao, get him in foul trouble or make him tired, the Rockets have no one else on their team who can really hurt the Magic.
SHOOTAROUND
After a hard practice Thursday at RDV Sportsplex, the Magic returned to Amway Arena Friday morning for shootaround as they plan to face the Houston Rockets.
Tracy McGrady will not play, still nursing a knee injury, so the Magic's game-plan changes focusing most of their attention to Yao Ming.
Rashard Lewis starts at power forward and will guard Houston's Chuck Hayes who doesn't pose a significant offensive threat averaging just 3.3 points, so the Magic plan to take advantage of Hayes' inabilities using Lewis to help on Ming.
"I will be starting out on Chuck Hayes but I will be shadowing Yao a lot," Lewis added. "I really won't guard Hayes unless he is under the basket, Dwight is going to front Yao and I will be the backside help."
Offensively, the Magic intend to attack Yao hoping to get him in foul trouble while making him work hard causing him to be fatigued.
"We want to work him hard at both ends and make him fatigued later on in the game," commented head coach Stan Van Gundy.
"We are going to run a lot of pick-and-rolls with Yao Ming," Lewis elaborated, "Yao doesn't like to come out of the paint so we are going to want to bring him away from the basket and attack him off of the pick-and-roll."
With McGrady out...and all the focus on Yao...the Rockets game-plan changes drastically from game to game.
"Tracy is the most important player on our team," added Yao. "It is hard for our team because our game-plans don't work without him, so we have to come up with different ways to win."
Coach Van Gundy added upon Yao's comments and explained how different Houston plays without McGrady.
"Without Tracy their tempo on offense is a lot faster because they will play with two point guards."
Van Gundy continued, "As great as Tracy is, when he's on the floor, some of his teammates tend to stand around and watch him play but with him out they are a little more active offensively."
Orlando appears to have a formidable game-plan in place as they aim to grab their 23rd win of the season.
PREGAME
More than three weeks ago, the Magic fought for a tough 97-92 road win against the Houston Rockets thanks to a great team effort.
In that game, Rockets' superstar and former Magic all-star, Tracy McGrady re-injured his knee and played only 18 minutes scoring three points on just 1-of-10 shooting.
Since then...McGrady has missed four out of Houston's last seven games with the Rockets posting a 1-3 record in his absence.
T-Mac has missed Houston's last three games and is questionable for Friday night's game as the Rockets face the Magic at Amway Arena.
McGrady leads the Rockets in scoring at 22.8 points per game and combined with Yao Ming...the tandem combines for nearly 47 percent of their team's scoring out-put.
With T-Mac's availability in question, Ming will not only have to carry much of the Rockets' work load, but will also have to deal with reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month Dwight Howard.
The Howard versus Ming match-up will more than likely feature the two starting all-star centers for their respective conferences as Howard leads all Eastern Conference centers and Ming is the sizeable leader in the Western Conference.
Howard outplayed Ming in the pair's last meeting scoring 21 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking three shots while leading his team to victory.
Ming comes into Friday nights match-up averaging 21.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.
Despite a 15-17 record, Houston has played well defensively ranking in the league's top five in opponents' points per game (94.1), opponents' field-goal percentage (44%), rebounding (44.4), and block shots (5.5).
Orlando will look to break down Houston's defense as the Southeast Division leading Magic aim to begin another winning streak.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Jan. 4 vs. Houston (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 20-19 all-time vs. Houston (12-7 at home, 8-12 on the road) during regular season action, including 1-0 this season (see recap below)…The Magic went 0-2 last season against the Rockets…The Magic are 0-4 in postseason play against the Rockets (1995 NBA Finals)...Orlando has lost nine of the last 11 regular season matchups with the Rockets…However, they have won 16 of the last 26 matchups overall, including 12 straight wins from Nov. 23, 1994-Feb. 16, 2001...The 12 straight wins ties Orlando's all-time longest winning streak vs. any opponent (also 12 straight wins over Denver)...The Magic have won 10 of the last 15 regular season meetings in the series at home and seven of the last 12 played in Houston…Keith Bogans played in 33 outings at the end of the 2005-06 campaign with the Rockets…Rashard Lewis attended Elisk High School in nearby Alief, TX…Assistant Coaches Patrick Ewing (2004-06) and Steve Clifford (2003-07) served on the bench with Houston as assistants…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Houston, see p. 251 of the media guide…Dec. 19 @ Houston – Magic 97, Rockets 92: Six Magic players scored in double figures, led by Dwight Howard with 21 points and 11 rebounds, as Orlando defeated Houston, 97-92, at Toyota Center. Keyon Dooling came off the bench to score 15 points, while Keith Bogans recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Yao Ming led the way for the Rockets with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Houston led by as many as 11 points during the first quarter, but Orlando came storming back with a 15-0 run during the second quarter. The Magic led 44-40 at halftime and extended their lead to 71-62 after the third quarter. Houston would trim the deficit to 93-92 following two free throws by Rafer Alston with 12.9 seconds left. However, it would be as close as the Rockets would get. Dooling and Hedo Turkoglu hit four free throws during the final seconds to seal the win for Orlando.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. ROCKETS: 39 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Houston, 2-16-02)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 37 pts., Yao Ming (@ Houston, 3-11-07; @ Orlando, 1-25-04)
