Jalen Green drives against the Magic during their last matchup on March 10, 2025.
A pair of playoff hopefuls square off Wednesday in Orlando with the Magic hosting the Rockets at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass.
The Orlando Magic (32-37) are coming off a signature win last time out when they snapped the Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak. They’ll face another hot team Wednesday when the Rockets come to town. Let’s dig into the top five reasons to tune into Magic vs Rockets on NBA League Pass.
1. Streak Breakers? The Magic notably ended the Cavaliers’ 16-game losing streak Sunday in Cleveland with a 108-103 victory. The schedule does them no favors, though, as now they’ll host the West’s No. 2 team, the Rockets, who have a seven-game win streak cooking.
2. How do you follow that up? The Rockets had to expend plenty of energy Monday night to avoid the upset against the 76ers. Philadelphia blitzed Houston in the first half and led by as many as 25 points. The Rockets used a 45-point third quarter to erase that lead but the 76ers didn’t go away quietly as they forced overtime. Ultimately, the Rockets outlasted Philadelphia, but will the max-effort game lead to tired legs Wednesday on the road?
3. Defensive battle on tap? The last time these two teams met March 10, the Rockets won 97-84 in a game where offense came at a premium. Neither team shot better than 40% from the floor but the Rockets did just enough to get it done. The numbers back it up, though. In terms of defensive rating, the Magic rank third, and the Rockets are just behind them at fourth in the league. This could be another low-scoring showdown if team trends hold.
4. Banchero is booming: Few players have been better this month than Banchero, who is averaging 29.9 points (5th in NBA), 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in March. The Rockets managed to hold him in check last time out, relatively speaking, when Banchero went for 25 points on 10-for-23 shooting.
5. Who’s stepping up in Thompson’s absence? Amen Thompson is nearing a return but has missed the last five games. In his stead, Jalen Green has ratcheted things up with 25.0 points and Alperen Şengun has played up to his usual high level. Tari Eason has added some extra punch as well with 17.3 points and 6.2 rebounds over his last six outings.
