Jabari Smith Jr. stars as the Rockets beat the Magic 97-84 for 3rd straight win

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Franz Wagner feeds Paolo Banchero for alley-oop slam

The Magic capitalize on a Rockets turnover as Franz Wagner lobs it up to Paolo Banchero in transition for a dunk.

Mar 10, 2025, 10:46 pm

HOUSTON -- — Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and tied a career high with five 3-pointers, helping the Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 97-84 on Monday night for their third consecutive victory.

Alperen Sengun had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Houston, and Steven Adams finished with 11 points and 17 boards.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 25 points. Franz Wagner had 15 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Magic closed to 65-58 on Wagner's layup with 5:04 left in the third quarter. But Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks made consecutive 3-pointers to make it 71-58 with 2:47 to go.

Banchero made two free throws, but the Rockets scored the next four points. Aaron Holiday's 3-pointer made it 75-60 with 26 seconds to go.

Brooks finished with 17 points.

Takeaways

Magic: Orlando was unable to build on its win over Milwaukee, which snapped a five-game skid. It dropped 10-22 since Jan. 1.

Rockets: Houston used a balanced scoring attack to help make up for starters Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet sitting out with ankle injuries.

Key moment

Brooks and Sengun each made a 3 to help the Rockets open a 95-77 lead with 3:01 left.

Key stat

The Rockets made 16 3-pointers, compared to just eight by Orlando.

Up next

Houston hosts Phoenix on Wednesday night, and Orlando visits New Orleans on Thursday night.

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