HOUSTON _ For a moment late in the second quarter Tuesday night, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic found himself guarding Houston Rockets MVP candidate James Harden one-on-one on the perimeter.
It was a mismatch in Harden's favor, but Vucevic defended him superbly. After Harden unleashed an array of stutter-steps and dekes, he launched a 3-pointer, and Vucevic blocked the shot.
Several seconds later, the Rockets' Trevor Ariza stole the ball from Elfrid Payton and passed it to teammate Clint Capela, who dunked the ball.
That sequence illustrates just how frustrating Tuesday night was for the Magic. The Rockets had an answer for almost everything. Undone by an atrocious stretch bridging the first and second quarters and the Rockets' efficient long-range shooting, the Magic lost 128-104 at the Toyota Center.
The loss also may have been costly for the Magic. Aaron Gordon sat out the entire second half because he had a sore right foot _ not the same foot that required surgery during his rookie season two years ago.
Gordon began the game as the primary defender on Harden, and Harden finished with 25 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field and 10-of-14 shooting from the foul line. Harden distributed a game-high 13 assists.
The Magic trailed by as many as 23 points in the second quarter, but they showed a bit of fight after that.
They whittled away at the deficit and drew within 94-86 on a jumper by Evan Fournier to open the fourth quarter. But they couldn't get any closer.
The Rockets generated the cushion they needed with 5:05 remaining in the game. Harden stole a pass by Fournier and then hurled the ball to Eric Gordon on the right wing. Gordon sank a 3-pointer _ the Rockets' 13th of the night _ to extend the lead to 109-97.
Magic power forward Serge Ibaka finished with 28 points on 13-of-20 shooting, and Fournier added 21 points.
Vucevic compiled 14 points and a season-high 19 rebounds.
The Rockets (38-17) love to launch 3-pointers. Their team is built for shooting.
Outside shooting is a major weakness for the Magic (20-34).
Orlando struggled from long range Tuesday, hitting only six of its 25 3-point attempts.
Houston, on the other hand, made 16 of its 38 tries from beyond the arc.
Harden had plenty of help. Five of his teammates scored in double figures, including Ariza, a former Magic forward who scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half.
The Magic raced to a 20-11 lead midway through the first quarter through a combination of hot shooting and a slow Rockets start.
But the Rockets erased that lead quickly.
Ibaka made a jumper from 10 feet to put Orlando ahead 28-26 with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Then, the Magic collapsed.
The Rockets went on a 24-2 run _ primarily against the Magic's bench. The only points the Magic could muster during that stretch were two foul shots by D.J. Augustin.
The Magic went 7 minutes, 44 seconds without making a basket. They missed all 10 shots they attempted.
Meanwhile, Nene scored 13 points during the Rockets' run.
Ibaka stopped the bleeding when he made a 3-pointer. His trey cut the Rockets' lead to 52-35 with 6:54 to go in the second quarter.
Reserve forward Jeff Green did not play Tuesday because he returned to Florida to be with his fiancee as she gave birth to their first child.
The Magic would've benefited from having Green in their second unit because of his mobility and defensive versatility.
But his absence wasn't the difference.
The Rockets outclassed the Magic with better shooting and better depth.
