Orlando Pinstriped Post - Magic vs. Rockets: Dwight Howard returns to Orlando as Houston visitsAn Orlando Magic blog with news, rumors, analysis, and commentaryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/21281/orlando-fave.jpg2014-10-23T08:00:07-04:00http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/rss/stream/68042922014-10-23T08:00:07-04:002014-10-23T08:00:07-04:00Despite loss, Magic show improved defense
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<img alt="Maurice Harkless and James Harden" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fqjpn-Vi89DXarVGmDqxcJ_78Ws=/0x0:3990x2660/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/42511778/20141022_mta_mb2_120.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Maurice Harkless and James Harden | David Manning-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Magic have bought into the defensive end so far. Plus, Maurice Harkless is showing off new facets of his offensive game. </p> <p><em>Our man Zach Oliver empties the notebook following the <a href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Orlando Magic's</a> 90-89 loss to the Houston Rockets in preseason action Wednesday.</em></p>
<h4>Strong defensive play continues</h4>
<p>Despite giving up 29 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 to <span>Isaiah Canaan</span>, the Magic's defense looked good once again on Wednesday night. From the start of training camp, coach <span>Jacque Vaughn</span> has said that the team would focus on that end of the floor, and through seven preseason games, it's paid dividends.</p>
<p>"I think overall, if you take each game and separately look at them, we have done a pretty good job understanding what to do defensively," said Vaughn. "I think again tonight they shoot under 40 [percent] from the field, and so I hope that becomes a common theme for us. It's a great place for us to look forward to each and every game."</p>
<div class="pullquote">Only three teams have shot better than 40 percent against the Magic this preseason.</div>
<p>Vaughn also talked about how having guys who are "defensive minded" has allowed his team to make much-needed improvements on that end of the floor. Rookie forward <span>Aaron Gordon</span>, who prides himself on his defense, said he thought they had done a "pretty good job" so far on that end of the floor in the preseason. Gordon also said that the veterans the team has might have a better feeling than he does due to their wealth of experience.</p>
<p>Only three teams -- the <a href="https://www.atthehive.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Charlotte Hornets</a>, Flamengo and <a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia 76ers</a> -- have shot better than 40 percent against the Magic this preseason. It's encouraging to see Orlando locking down and potentially taking that next step in that end of the floor. They have the players to potentially become one of the league's better defensive teams. To get there, they just have to put in the time and work, and so far, they have.</p>
<h4>Harkless making waves</h4>
<p>One of the Magic's potential defensive stoppers, <span>Maurice Harkless</span>, has shown off a new, refined offensive game this preseason, and continued to do so with a strong 11 point performance against the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rockets</a>. Harkless, who previously relied heavily on the corner three and off-ball cuts to score, has shown a steady improvement with the ball in his hands, while also being able to create offense for himself and others. He looks poised to take the next step thanks to the new wrinkles in his game.</p>
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<p>Against the Rockets, Harkless drew the tough assignment of checking <span>James Harden</span> and did a fairly good job containing the two-time All-Star. In 17 minutes, Harden finished with just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, thanks in large part to Harkless' tenacity and length.</p>
<p>Coach Vaughn said he was "glad James played tonight to give Maurice a great defensive challenge."</p>
<p>"I think overall [I was] very happy with his focus on the defensive end of the floor," Vaughn said of Harkless.</p>
<p>Harkless is heading into a crucial season for his development. He skipped playing with the Puerto Rican national team this summer in favor of working on his game stateside, and his hard work has shown bright so far. His role with the team is somewhat unclear at this time, but when Harkless is on the floor, Orlando can rely on him to be a bigger threat offensively and to continue to lock players down defensively as well.</p>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/10/23/7043413/houston-rockets-orlando-magic-2014-nba-preseason-defense-maurice-harklessZach Oliver2014-10-22T21:25:10-04:002014-10-22T21:25:10-04:00Houston storms back in the fourth to beat Magic
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<figcaption>David Manning-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A late rally by the Rockets was too much for Orlando to handle, as they beat the Magic by a 90-89 final Wednesday.</p> <p>With the regular season just six days away, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> tipped it up with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Houston Rockets</a> for their penultimate preseason game on Wednesday night at Amway Center. After playing a tight one in Miami against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a> last night, Houston staged a late comeback to take down the Magic 90-89.</p>
<p>In the opening quarter, the Magic smothered the Rockets defensively, while having a fair amount of success of their own on the offensive end. The Magic tallied 18 of their 31 opening quarter points in the paint en route to a seven point lead heading into the second quarter. <span>Nikola Vucevic</span> and Maurice Harkless led the Magic with eight points apiece, while rookies <span>Aaron Gordon</span> and <span>Elfrid Payton</span> each scored four off the bench.</p>
<p>After a relatively clean opening quarter, both Orlando and Houston struggled some in the second quarter with periods of sloppy play. The Magic turned the ball over seven times, leading to nine points for the Rockets, while Houston coughed it up four times, leading to eight Magic points. The Magic's defense was still strong, however, holding the Rockets to 8-of-20 in the quarter, and to 37.5% overall for the half.</p>
<p>Out of halftime, the Magic continued their suffocating play on the defensive end, holding the Rockets to just 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting, including 2-of-9 from three. The Magic were able to clean up their turnover issues as well, coughing the ball up just twice, leading to no Rockets points. Heading into the final quarter, the Magic held their biggest lead, up 13, 74-61.</p>
<p>With all of their main players on the bench, the Magic struggled, seeing their lead slowly trickle down before Houston grabbed a one point lead late in the quarter. Houston's comeback was completed thanks to a late free throw by <span>Jeff Adrien</span>, which gave the Rockets the one point that made the difference in the game.</p>
<p>The Magic were led by Vucevic, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. Making his third start of the preseason, <span>Maurice Harkless</span> scored 11 points, including two three-pointers. <span>Ben Gordon</span> also finished with 11 off the bench. <span>Andrew Nicholson</span> rounded out the Magic men in double figures, finishing with 10.</p>
<p><span>Troy Daniels</span> and <span>Isaiah Canaan</span> led all scorers, finishing with 14 on the night. <span>Tarik Black</span>, starting in place of <span>Dwight Howard</span>, finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.</p>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/10/22/7042927/Houston-Rockets-Orlando-Magic-90-89Zach Oliver2014-10-22T13:39:41-04:002014-10-22T13:39:41-04:00Magic vs. Rockets GameThread
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<img alt="Jason Terry" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/90h3UXcp8bFCOrxugSC9jH6MrH8=/0x95:4000x2762/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/42470134/20141021_ajw_su8_180.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jason Terry | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Orlando takes on Dwight Howard and the visiting Rockets on Wednesday.</p> <p>Coming off their worst defeat of the preseason, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Magic</a> regroup Wednesday for a home game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Houston Rockets</a>.</p>
<p>Game time is 7:00 PM on ESPN 580 AM in the Orlando market.</p>
<p>Please post your pre- and in-game comments in this GameThread.</p>
<p><strong>Do not <u>ask for</u>, <u>mention</u>, or <u>link to</u> any sites or services that provide video streams for this game</strong>. Doing so will result in a disciplinary action.</p>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"><tbody> <tr> <th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3">2014/2015 NBA Preseason</th> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/incurock31/3QC/Logos%20non-gifs/HOU__zpsfc1e6459.jpg" width="120" height="80" alt="Houston Rockets main logo"></center></td> <th align="center" width="20">@</th> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/incurock31/3QC/Logos%20non-gifs/ORL__zps606f5ea5.jpg" width="120" height="80" alt="Orlando Magic main logo"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center>4-2 (1-2 road)<br>Lost 1</center></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td width="240"><center>4-2 (2-0 home)<br>Lost 1</center></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3"><strong>October 22nd, 2014</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Amway Center</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>7:00 PM</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>580 AM</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3"><strong>Possible Starters</strong></th> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Patrick Beverley</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PG</th> <td width="240"><span>Elfrid Payton</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240" bgcolor="gold"><span>James Harden</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SG</th> <td width="240"><span>Evan Fournier</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Trevor Ariza</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SF</th> <td width="240"><span>Maurice Harkless</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Terrence Jones</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PF</th> <td width="240"><span>Kyle O`Quinn</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240" bgcolor="gold"><span>Dwight Howard</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">C</th> <td width="240"><span>Dewayne Dedmon</span></td> </tr> <tr><th height="20" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"></th></tr> </tbody></table>
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https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/10/22/7040233/magic-vs-rockets-game-time-tv-schedule-and-moreEvan Dunlap