The Magic Insider

Magic Second Half Surge Leads to Win vs. Rockets

The Houston Rockets gave the Orlando Magic a challenge. But the Magic passed the test in the final leg of a four-game road trip.

Jeremy Brener

Magic Second Half Surge Leads to Win vs. Rockets
Magic Second Half Surge Leads to Win vs. Rockets /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (12-21) is taking a happy flight home after beating the Houston Rockets (9-22) by a score of 116-106 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

The Magic struggled to get things going in the first half, trailing by as much as 15 and taking a 10-point deficit into halftime. However, the locker room talk from head coach Jamahl Mosley must have worked, because Orlando started to chip away in the second half.

The Magic outscored the Rockets 31-23 in the third quarter, bringing momentum into the fourth quarter, where Orlando finally took the lead with 7:11 left in the game.

The Magic went on a 14-5 run to take the lead and never looked back.

Leading the way for the Magic was Franz Wagner, who came into the game questionable with an ankle injury, but appeared unfazed during the contest. He scored a team-high 25, while No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero added 23.

For the Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr. led all scorers with 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting. 

The Magic finish off its road trip 3-1 and have won seven of its last eight games.

The Magic returns home to face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Amway Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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