ORLANDO -- In their last contest, the Orlando Magic put together three strong quarters, but a slow start to the second half proved to be too costly against the Toronto Raptors.
Now, the Magic are looking to build off that performance and string together 48 minutes of high-energy defense and purposeful offensive play when they host the Houston Rockets on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
“Everything is going to be set up by our intent, just our basic energy,” Magic Head Coach Steve Clifford said. “All teams play pretty hard in the NBA. (Against the Raptors) in that second half, we had a different level of energy, definitely a different level of concentration. We blew a lot of coverages defensively that we did pretty well in the first half, and we did well the other night. So, hopefully that’s a lesson learned, and we can do better on Sunday.”
Part of that struggle has been the lack of cohesion. Orlando has rolled out 27 different starting lineups this season and also has had to steadily adjust the backend of its rotation due to injuries, signings, and trades.
“We don’t really practice as much (due to the truncated schedule), but that’s no excuse on how it should affect how hard we play every game and how hard I play every game,” Magic forward Chuma Okeke explained. “We just have to come out with good intensity every night and play to win, play to compete, and play to get better as a group and also individually.”
If there’s one team that’s been more affected by those circumstances, it’s the Rockets. Houston has used a league-high 34 different starting lineups in its 56 games this season. Due to rest and injuries, the Rockets will only have four guards available to them tonight – Kevin Porter Jr., Avery Bradley, Armoni Brooks, and DaQuan Jeffries – circumstances that are similar to what’s plagued the Magic throughout the season.
INJURY UPDATE: For Orlando, Mo Bamba (left hip contusion) will attempt to play, while Michael Carter-Williams (sprained left ankle), James Ennis III (sore right calf), Markelle Fultz (torn ACL, left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation), and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot pain) are out.
For Houston, D.J. Augustin (left ankle sprain), Sterling Brown (left ankle soreness), Dante Exum (right calf strain), Eric Gordon (right groin strain), Danuel House Jr. (right ankle sprain), David Nwaba (sprained right wrist), and John Wall (left Achilles; injury recovery) are out.
KEY STAT: Cole Anthony continues to make progress. The rookie floor general made his first start on Friday since missing 25 games – due to a non-displaced fracture, right rib – and notched 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In the six games since his return, he's scored in double figures five times, dished out five-plus assists five times, and grabbed seven-plus rebounds three times.
“(Anthony) is making the right plays, hitting shots, and he just has fun out there, for real,” said Okeke with a grin stretched across his face. “Cole brings a lot of energy to this team and he’s a real cool dude to be around off the court and on the court. He’s out there having fun, getting everybody involved, and making good plays.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We can’t just throw guys out there, and they know that, and they’ve been very good. You can’t just let guys go out there. It’s like anything, no matter what you do. If you practice correctly, you get better. If you practice poorly, you’re exercising. I want us to get better.” – Clifford on what he expects to see from his group over the remainder of the season.
RIVALS REPORT: In this edition of our Rivals Report series, we’re joined by Rockets courtside reporter and pre/post-game host Cayleigh Griffin. She was kind enough to take the time and answer a few questions about the Rockets.
Savage: “The Rockets have a lot of people out tonight, but one of the staples of this season that’s still in the lineup is Christian Wood, who came over from the Pistons this offseason. What have you seen from him this season and what impact has he made for the Rockets?”
Griffin: “Christian Wood, obviously, has been huge for this team this season. We saw that more than ever when he went out with his second ankle sprain and missed twenty games, and the team lost all twenty of them. I think more than ever, we saw his importance to this team. There was a lot of optimism about him signing when he did on a rather affordable contract. We started to see last season what he could be in Detroit and then he was going to be given an opportunity here where he could really be a centerpiece of the offense. Of course, at the time, there was an expectation that he would be playing alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and he’d be the go-to big inside. Obviously, a lot has changed since the beginning of the season, but he’s still become a major focal point of the offense. I think we’re having a hard time seeing what it could be because there’s been so much change to the roster, whether it’s been trades or injuries throughout the season. But one constant has really been Christian and he, as of late, has really come back into his own. It took him a few games after his ankle sprain to really get back to where he’d been, but the last few games in particular, he’s really started to come into his own. Now, he’s figuring out how to work alongside Kelly Olynyk in the post, balancing between a four and a five, and learning again with a new point guard in Kevin Porter Jr. It’s been an adjustment throughout the season, but if you could point to one bright spot, who’s been a constant throughout this year, it has to be Christian Wood.”
Savage: “He won’t play tonight, but D.J. Augustin spent four seasons with the Magic and had impact in the regular season and the playoffs for them. What have you seen from D.J. since he came over in a mid-season trade from Milwaukee?”
Griffin: “I can’t say enough good things about D.J. Augustin. I think he’s my mid-season MVP for this team. Losing him a few games ago to an ankle sprain has certainly hurt this team, especially the second unit. He’s been a guy that has come off the bench and been a constant. Especially for a team that has a twenty-year-old, who’s leading the offense for the most part in Kevin Porter Jr. They’re putting (Porter Jr.) in positions to play big minutes and get adjusted to playing point, a position he hasn’t played since he was a senior in high school. D.J. Augustin has come in, in that second unit, and taken control. It’s been a situation where coach (Stephen) Silas calls him a ‘pro’s pro.’ He doesn’t necessarily lead by his words, but he leads by his play and by example. He’s become an example for a player like Kevin Porter Jr. by just coming in and being a calming presence, especially for that second unit. Right before that ankle sprain, he started to play longer minutes and into the fourth quarter, where he’d actually been the most effective. If you look at his numbers, since he’s joined the Rockets, across the board his stats – his field goal percentage, his points per minute – continually go up as the game goes on. He was at his best in the fourth quarter, and we started to see him really play some extended minutes down the stretch. So, losing him has impacted this team tremendously because he had been so crucial to the second unit, and he had started to play big minutes with that first unit down into the second half. Like I said, kind of just a constant player, someone who gets everybody into the right places and settles the team down. Selfishly, for him, he seems to be really happy here. He calls Houston his second home. He grew up in New Orleans but had to relocate out here to Houston during Hurricane Katrina. For the first time in thirteen years, he was able to spend Easter with his family. It’s a win-win situation for both the player and the team.”
Savage: “Talking about in-season acquisitions, there were few better this season than the Rockets adding Kevin Porter Jr. What has he done for this team since being acquired by the Rockets?”
Griffin: “It was a huge get. Personally, I worked with Kevin since the beginning of his time in Cleveland. I was there for probably his first few months there, so I kind of saw his potential from when he was drafted. He has been tremendous. He’s still so young, just twenty years old. This is just his first time playing the point guard position. It’s a position he played in high school, but as he went to college at USC and in Cleveland, he played more of a two-three. He is now going back into his natural position, which is a challenging adjustment to make, especially at the NBA level, because you’re arguably going up against some of the best players on every team. Each night he has a really difficult assignment, but it’s been something that he has embraced. There are certainly ups and downs along the way. He had a tough game against Denver last game, just four points on one-for-nine shooting. It’s a process. He’s so young and he’s just learning how to handle the pressure that comes from running an offense. When to attack himself, and when to make plays for his teammates. It’s an adjustment he’s making, but he’s learning along the way. He’s had some tremendous performances already, which is a really bright spot for this team in this year that’s had so much go on. (They’ve been able to) see what could be in the future and that they have the ability to build around him. When they originally acquired him from Cleveland, they gave away a protected second-round pick that will probably never transfer, so they basically got him for nothing. He went down to the G League first and spent the whole G League season with the RGV Vipers. So, he had a lot of time to get back into basketball shape because he hadn’t been playing in Cleveland. He had a great foundation working with the Vipers, so when he came back to Houston, he’s been an integral part to this team. He’s started almost every game since. It’s a learning process, but it’s good for him, and the organization has emphasized that – especially with the way this season has gone – right now it’s really about allowing these young players that they have to get big minutes and to continue to learn and grow from them.”