One night after losing the season opener on Christmas night in Oklahoma City, the Orlando Magic beat the Houston Rockets 104-95 in their home opener. Orlando was led by Dwight Howard, who had only 11 points last night, but came back strong early on Monday. The All Star center finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, dominating Houston on the inside. After only eight attempts from the floor against the Thunder, the Magic made a concerted effort to feed Howard in the post early on.
J.J. Redick had a big night off the bench for Orlando, finishing with 20 points. After a cold shooting night in OKC, the Magic were improved from behind the arc, hitting nine of 22 attempts from downtown. One night after hitting six threes, Ryan Anderson was just two of eight but Redick was there to fill the void, hitting three of his four three-point attempts. Hedo Turkoglu hit three from downtown as well, leading all Magic scorers with 23 points on a hot shooting and efficient night from the floor.
Scoring machine Kevin Martin had a brutal night for Houston, and the Magic were able to hold the Rockets to just 23% from three. Orlando would capitalize at home to seal the nine point win. They will now have two days off before hosting the New Jersey Nets on Thursday night.
For more news, discussion, and analysis on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post. For the opponent's perspective, please visit SB Nation's Rockets blog, The Dream Shake. For news and notes from around the league, be sure to follow SB Nation's NBA hub.