Final
Oladipo leads Magic past Rockets
Jan 15, 2015 - 5:44 AM Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Victor Oladipo put the exclamation point on an Orlando Magic upset win with a highlight-reel 360-degree dunk in the final minute.It also put the finishing touches on a great all-around performance from the blossoming second-year guard.
Oladipo finished with 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Magic beat the Houston Rockets 120-113 on Wednesday night.
Nik Vucevic posted 25 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie point guard Elfrid Payton added 15 points, six boards and four assists for the Magic, who have won back-to-back games on the heels of a six-game losing streak.
"It just took time. It took a minute for us to figure out how to play," Oladipo said.
James Harden had 26 points, 10 assists and five steals for Houston, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Dwight Howard supplied 23 points and eight boards against his former team
Howard had been averaging 24.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in four prior meetings against Orlando since being traded by the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2012.
"It's always fun to play here, come back and think about those great times we had here," Howard said. "I'll always have love for this city."
A Trevor Ariza 3-pointer and a short Donatas Motiejunas jumper on consecutive Houston possessions staked it to a 107-104 advantage with 2:42 left, but Orlando ripped off the next seven points.
A pair of Payton layups preceded a Channing Frye triple as Orlando established a 111-107 cushion with 1:20 remaining.
Harden found Motiejunas at the other end for a layup before a Vucevic 3-point play and Oladipo's emphatic slam sealed the outcome.
Earlier, Frye nailed two treys and the Magic raced off to an 11-2 start.
Orlando led 29-19 following a quarter of play, but Houston used a 13-4 run to begin the second and claw within 33-32.
Patrick Beverley hit a triple in the waning seconds of the opening half to get the Rockets within 55-52 heading into the break.
Harden's layup in the final minute of the third quarter helped Houston go into the final frame with an 85-84 edge.
Game Notes
Orlando's Tobias Harris missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury ... The Rockets fell to 11-4 against Eastern Conference opponents, including 6-2 on the road ... Houston dropped to 19-4 when Harden scores at least 25 points ... Orlando netted 26 points off 21 Houston turnovers.
- HOUSTON: 113
ORLANDO: 120
Final
Jan 14 9:32 PM - HOUSTON: 85
ORLANDO: 84
End of 3rd
Jan 14 8:50 PM - HOUSTON: 52
ORLANDO: 55
Halftime
Jan 14 8:06 PM - HOUSTON: 19
ORLANDO: 29
End of 1st
Jan 14 7:33 PM - HOUSTON: 0
ORLANDO: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Jan 14 7:11 PM
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