Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 37 points while Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 23 points as the Houston Rockets completed the home portion of their schedule with a 118-106 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The Rockets (39-40) snapped a season-worst five-game skid while dealing the Magic (46-33) a damaging loss relative to their playoff positioning.
VanVleet made six 3-pointers and added eight rebounds and six assists to his ledger. Smith grabbed seven boards, dished out five assists and blocked two shots as Houston shot 52.3 percent from the field.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs scored 21 points apiece for the Magic, who were without Franz Wagner (ankle). Markelle Fultz added 18 points for Orlando, which fell two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining. The Magic will play in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
The Rockets extended their lead to 79-60 on Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer at the 7:39 mark of the third quarter. But the Magic hung tough behind Banchero and Suggs combining for 21 points in the period and posting three-point plays that cut that margin to 12 points. Smith hit a jump shot that upped the lead to 97-82 entering the fourth, but the Magic opened that period with a 9-0 run.
Joe Ingles’ corner 3-pointer with 9:09 left pulled Orlando to within 97-91. But VanVleet followed with a 3-pointer and Brooks later added a driving layup and a 3 to keep the Magic at bay. When VanVleet completed a three-point play at the 3:12 mark, Houston reclaimed control at 114-101.
VanVleet was the linchpin of a 12-2 run that lifted the Rockets to a 17-12 lead in the first quarter. He started 5 for 5 and tallied 15 points in the period as Houston carried a 36-25 lead into the second on 60 percent shooting and an unselfish approach that yielded 12 assists on 15 field goals.
The Magic opened the second with a 9-2 spurt that cut the deficit to 38-34, only for the Rockets to hold firm. Banchero struggled shooting in the first half and didn’t record his first field goal until the 5:32 mark of the period. Orlando closed to within 49-41 on the Banchero basket, only for the Rockets to respond with a 10-2 run that yielded a 16-point lead, their biggest of the first half.
VanVleet and Smith combined for 32 points as Houston took a 63-51 lead into the break. Banchero led the Magic with 10 points but missed 8 of 12 shots.
–Field Level Media
