Strong defense carries Rockets past Magic

Jabari Smith Jr. scored a team-high 20 points, Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams recorded double-doubles, and the Houston Rockets turned a stifling defensive performance into a 97-84 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Monday.

Smith nailed five 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds. He stroked a pair of 3s early in the third quarter to lift Houston to a double-digit lead and later delivered a dazzling defensive play to stifle the Magic for good, blocking a breakaway dunk attempt from Trevelin Queen that resulted in a Dillon Brooks 3-pointer that extended the Houston lead to 92-77 with 3:38 to play.

Sengun (14 points, 14 rebounds) added a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to seal the victory. Adams paired 11 points with a season-high 17 rebounds off the bench while Jeff Green added nine points and three 3-pointers also in reserve.

Brooks produced 17 points. Jalen Green totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Rockets, missing Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson, both sidelined by ankle injuries.

Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 25 points for the Magic, who shot just 32.6 percent and were unable to fully capitalize on forcing 20 turnovers. Franz Wagner joined Banchero in double figures with 15 points, but he missed 11 of 17 shot attempts.

Orlando capitalized on the Rockets' early issues with ball security, turning four turnovers into five points and a five-point lead that eventually swelled to 19-10 on a Banchero 10-footer at the 4:20 mark of the first period.

But the Rockets closed that frame on a 13-0 run ignited by a Jalen Green 3-pointer and bolstered by two Adams baskets in the paint. Houston thrived on crisp ball movement and unselfish play, with Sengun and Jalen Green producing three assists apiece in the period.

The Magic fashioned a reply in the second quarter via 3-pointers from Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris. Orlando seized a 39-35 lead when Wendell Carter Jr. turned a second-chance basket into a three-point play. However, the Rockets responded with a 14-2 rally keyed by pull-up jumpers from Brooks and Jalen Green and carried a 51-46 lead into the intermission.

--Field Level Media