ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Christian Wood scored 25 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24, and the Houston Rockets used a strong offensive in the third quarter to rally past the Orlando Magic 114-110 on Sunday night. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 and made four 3-pointer points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter as the Rockets snapped a five-game losing streak and a five-game road skid. Armoni Brooks chipped in 16 points and another five 3-pointers for a Houston squad that shot 51.2% from the floor and hit 16 3-pointers.
Down as many as 12 points late in the first half, Houston used an 18-2 burst in the third quarter to flip the game. Flat offensively in the early going, Houston made 55% of its shots and hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter to outscore Orlando 32-18 in the period.
The Rockets took their most significant lead of the game, 93-79, early in the fourth. From there, the Magic rallied to within 108-105 with a minute to play. However, Gary Harris lost the ball out of bounds on a hard drive to the rim, and Wood sealed the game with a floater in the lane.
Dwayne Bacon scored 22 points for Orlando, his fourth 20-point performance of the season. Cole Anthony hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play, but Orlando couldn’t get any closer than two points down the stretch. Anthony had 16 points and nine assists, while Harris added 16.
Wood added ten rebounds for his 17th double-double. The Rockets had 14 second-chance points.
Orlando lost for the eighth time in 11 games. The Magic dropped their sixth straight game at home and haven’t won at the Amway Center since March 24.
SEATS FOR SOLDIERS
As part of their “Seats for Soldiers” program, the Magic and L3Harris provided game tickets for 450 active and retired military personnel and their families. Magic players honored fallen soldiers by holding their jerseys with each soldier’s name listed before the anthem as part of the on-court ceremonies. Each player then signed the jerseys so they could be presented to families of the fallen soldiers. Participating military units in the traditions were the 6th Marines Corps District, Tampa; Army – Orlando; NTAG Jacksonville, Navy; MacDill Air Force Base; Cape Canaveral & Cutter Skipjack of the Coast Guard.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Houston coach Stephen Silas said standout point guard John Wall was held out on Sunday simply because of the back-to-back set of games. He told Wall would be back in the lineup on Monday in Miami. … Veteran guard Eric Gordon, who hasn’t played since March 11 because of a groin strain, did full-court conditioning work before tipoff.
Magic: Orlando tied its franchise record by starting its 28th different lineup on Sunday. That equaled the 28 lineups used in the 1991-92 and 2012-13 seasons. … Point guard Cole Anthony celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday. He entered the day for sixth in scoring, third in assists, and ninth in rebounds among NBA rookies.
UP NEXT
Rockets: At Miami on Monday night.
Magic: At Atlanta on Tuesday night.
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