By John Denton
Jan. 6, 2017
ORLANDO – The last thing any team struggling on the defensive end of the floor wants to see right now is superstar guard James Harden and the high-octane Houston Rockets, but that’s the predicament the Orlando Magic will be in tonight.
Orlando have been unable to put any sort of consistency together of late largely because of their continued defensive woes. From Dec. 7 through Wednesday’s 111-92 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Magic have given up 112.3 points per 100 possessions – the third-worst such defensive rating in the NBA during that time.
The Magic (16-21) are well aware that that trend must change if they are going to become a steadier team and one that can take down the surging Rockets (28-9), one of the NBA’s most lethal offensive teams.
``With a (Houston) team with that much offensive firepower you’ve got to be connected and know your personnel and you have to be alert,’’ Magic forward Jeff Green said. ``They’re capable of putting up crazy stats, so we’ve got to be ready defensively.’’
Houston scored another 118 points on Thursday and topped Oklahoma City for its sixth consecutive victory. Harden, the NBA leader in assists and the fourth-ranked scorer, beat the Thunder with the pass on Thursday, hitting Nene for a dunk attempt that resulted in a foul and two game-winning free throws. Harden had 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds to outduel close friend and former OKC teammate Russell Westbrook, who had 49 points, eight rebounds and five assists in defeat.
The Magic are hopeful that Thursday’s hard-fought game and the early-morning arrival into Orlando will take some of the edge off a Houston team that was 16-2 and averaged 120 points a game in December. The Rockets, led by first-year coach Mike D’Antoni, have been nearly as good in December, scoring 101 and 118 points in defeats of Washington and OKC.
``The only way we’re going to have a chance to beat them is defending,’’ Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. ``We can’t get into a game where we’re trying to outscore them. That’s what they want. We have to stick to what we do well. What makes us successful is defending, especially against a team like this.’’
Inconsistent all season, Orlando has stuck to form of late. The Magic straddled the Christmas holiday with defeats of the Lakers and Grizzlies, but since then they dropped games against Charlotte and Indiana before bouncing back with a defeat of New York and Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta.
Orlando will have point guard Elfrid Payton in the starting lineup a second straight game, while shooting guard Evan Fournier will be active again. Payton started the first 16 games of the season, but was moved to a reserve role for 20 games before returning to the starting five on Wednesday. Fournier missed five straight games because of a right heel contusion, but was used off the bench on Wednesday and scored 14 points in 29 minutes.
Tonight, Fournier could return to the starting lineup and he will be one of the many players used to defend Harden. Fournier had some success doing that last season, but he knows he has his work cut out for him.
``You can’t foul him because he’s very good at drawing fouls, but I feel like this year he’s even more dangerous because of the way he passes the ball,’’ Fournier said of Harden. ``He’s averaging 12 assists a game, which is very impressive for a shooting guard. It’s just about staying in front of him, don’t foul him and then hope he misses.’’
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.