After leading for most of the game and by 15 points in the third quarter, the Rockets collapsed late against Orlando’s zone defense in a deflating 116-110 loss (box score) on Wednesday at Toyota Center.
Houston (9-22) has dropped four straight home games and two to the Spurs and Magic, teams widely viewed as rebuilding rivals.
The Rockets committed 17 turnovers, including eight in the fourth quarter and five in the final five minutes.
In a battle of top 2022 rookies, Orlando’s Paulo Banchero (23 points, 45% FG, 13 rebounds) largely outplayed Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. (10 points, 36.4% FG, 5 rebounds) as the Magic (12-21) won for the seventh time in their last eight overall games.
The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter Jr., who scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%) and 5-of-9 on 3-pointers (55.6%). However, he had 5 assists compared to a game-high 5 turnovers, and those proved costly late as Houston struggled to counter Orlando’s zone. Jalen Green had 21 points (47.1% FG) and 8 rebounds, but he went scoreless in the fourth quarter and only shot once.
Second-year guard Franz Wagner — like Green, a first-round pick from the 2021 NBA draft — led the Magic with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%), including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers (50.0%).
KJ Martin added 18 points and 4 assists off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting (63.6%) and 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50%), while Alperen Sengun had 13 points (62.5% FG), 12 rebounds and 6 assists at center.
Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interview reaction from Wednesday’s loss to Orlando. Houston concludes its seven-game homestand, the longest of the season, at Toyota Center on Friday versus Dallas with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.