Rockets vs. Magic Takeaways: Zone Struggles, A 36 Hour Break, Franz Wagner's Play

Despite holding a 15-point lead early in the third quarter, the Houston Rockets dropped their fourth consecutive game in a home loss to the Magic Wednesday night.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (9-22) held a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. But the Orlando Magic (12-21) went on a second-half surge that led to the Rockets dropping their fourth consecutive game in a 116-110 loss inside the Toyota Center.

Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' disappointing loss to the Magic Wednesday night.

Zone struggles: 

When Kevin Porter Jr. intercepted a pass with 8 minutes and 24 seconds left in the third quarter, his two-hand dunk over the top of Markelle Fultz led to a 77-62 lead over the Magic.

Coach Jamahl Mosley called a timeout as the Rockets celebrated simultaneously with their fans. But coming out of the break, Mosley had orchestrated a zone defense that derailed Houston's offense. 

"We were trying to get the ball into the middle or play pick-and-roll to play to the weak side," coach Stephen Silas said. "When we were able to get the ball on the sideline, we played some sort of dribble action. But we did not execute well."

Jalen Green said they tried to find holes in the zone, but Orlando's length made it difficult. With Paolo Banchero, Bol Bol and Franz Wagner, the Magic relied upon a lineup that featured three players standing 6-foot-10 or taller to slow down Houston.

While playing zone, Orlando's size crammed the middle of the floor during Houston's attempt to get the ball to the middle of the court. When they succeeded in their attempt, Houston could not pass out to an open man out on the perimeter due to the Magic's defense.

When the Rockets got the shot they wanted, Orlando used its size to contest each of Houston's attempts. The Rockets became disjointed on the offensive end as the Magic's zone defense held Houston to 23 points.

Orlando's zone defense also forced the Rockets into committing several costly turnovers. After finishing the first half with five, Houston committed 13 turnovers once the Magic switched their defense. 

"It was the zone," Green said. "We were trying to get the ball moving and find the holes. Their wingspan is crazy. They play a lot of bigs out there." 

A thirty-six-hour break:

The Rockets came into the night after arguably their worst stretch of games in seven days. They had averaged 102.7 points while shooting 19.8 percent from deep and 66.2 percent from the free-throw line over the previous three games.

Silas credited Houston's poor offensive execution on the dog days of the season and gave the team a 36-hour break following Monday's loss to the Spurs. His idea led to the Rockets having an impressive first half. 

The energy was up on both ends. And behind Porter's 16 points, Houston held a 64-54 lead over Orlando at halftime. They shot 52.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the arc before their second-half collapse.

"That break was helpful," Porter said. "It's a long season. The two days that we had definitely helped. We had this game. But we beat ourselves." 

Franz Wagner's second half surge:

The Rockets began the night struggling to defend Paolo Banchero, who scored 14 of his 23 points during the first quarter. But Houston's biggest defensive struggle came due to the play of Franz Wagner.

He dominated Houston during the third quarter, where he scored 13 of his 25 points. Wagner's play led to the Magic outscoring the Rockets 62-46 during the second half. 

"We were not switching up on their players," Silas said. "They were making more 3's and attacking us one-on-one. It wasn't hard on them to score on us in the second half."

Best Performance:

It appeared that no player benefited more from the 36-hour break than Kevin Porter Jr. He had his best performance of the season with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 5-of-9 from behind the arc. 

Porter was the only player who managed to maintain their production during Houston's second-half collapse. In addition to his scoring, he added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block — his best all-around performance. 

Worst performance:

Usman Garuba did not provide the Rockets with no production off the bench. He looked lost several times on the defensive end.

Final Words:

"We just needed to get some stops. We gave up 62 points in the second half. If we got some stops than we could beat it up the floor." — coach Stephen Silas

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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