Unser Chat » second unit hurts them a bit

ORLANDO, Fla. -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. The Rockets dominated inside, outscoring the Magic 58-26 in the paint. Dwight Howard added 19 points and 14 rebounds in his second trip to Orlando to face his former team. Houston trailed in the second quarter by as many as 14 points, but battled back to win for the 13th time in 15 outings. Arron Afflalo led the Magic with 18 points. The Magic dropped to 0-2 this season against the Rockets. Orlando played without Jameer Nelson and Victor Oladipo. Nelson was out sick and Oladipo missed his first game of the season with soreness in his left ankle. Howard scored 11 points in the third quarter, connecting on five of his six field-goal attempts, to help the Rockets take 10-point lead into the fourth. The Magics second unit surged at the start of the period, and cut the deficit to three and prompted the Rockets to quickly re-insert their starters. Harden immediately scored five straight points, and Terrence Jones added a layup to push Houstons lead back up to 86-76 with 5:37 to play. Orlando never got closer than eight points the rest of the way. Orlando fans greeted Howard with a round of boos during player introductions and another the first time he touched the ball after the game tipped off. Howard briefly silenced them, slamming down a dunk on the Rockets first possession. It was one of his few highlights early, though, as the Magic rode hot early shooting and jumped out to a 14-point first-quarter advantage on the way to a 48-41 halftime lead. The Magic did honour Howard, with a video tribute on the scoreboard between the first and second quarter as part of the teams season-long 25th anniversary celebration. But even that was met with sporadic boos during the presentation from fans. Howard said before the game that he thought the video package could bring about some emotion. He was on the bench when it was played, but managed a slight smile as the booing persisted. It continued whenever Howard touched the ball, and he struggled at different points in the half, finishing with just seven points. Orlando started the half connecting on 10 of its first 14 field-goal attempts. That cooled to 44 per cent by halftime, with Houston holding a 26-18 advantage on scoring inside the paint, and 28-18 rebounding edge. Notes: Oladipo had been the only Magic player to appear every game this season before Wednesday. Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said the rookies injury doesnt stem from a particular incident, but is just general soreness. ... Former NBA player Grant Hill sat courtside. Frank Gore Jersey . The announcement was made by the hall on Friday, March 14. She joins Switzerlands Denise Biellmann as this years inductees to the Hall, based in Colorado Springs, CO. Tom Rathman Jersey . Louis Cardinals, the team will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the SkyDome. Jays legends Jimmy Key and Ernie Whitt, members of playoff and World Series-winning teams of the past, will be on hand for the festivities to look back at what was the beginning of the Jays halcyon years. http://www.cheap49ersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-y-a-tittle-jersey . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does. Ronnie Lott Jersey . Ryan Getzlaf certainly got them started in the second. Getzlaf scored the first two goals in the second, and Teemu Selanne scored the go-ahead goal late in the period as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night. Mitch Wishnowsky Jersey . With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth.TORONTO - When Patrick Patterson learned he would be making his first start as a member of the Raptors just prior to Monday nights game he wasnt exactly caught off guard by the news. With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Although it likely wasnt an easy sell, Dwane Casey and the coaching staff made the decision to rest Johnson, who had not missed a game due to injury in nearly two years, opening the door for his backup. "I started in Houston so its not new," said Patterson, downplaying his role in Torontos 108-101 home win over the Pelicans after scoring a season-best 22 points. "Its just all about making sure I have a positive role and I know my role on the team… making sure Im a significant part of our teams success." Since coming over in the seven-player trade from Sacramento in early December, Patterson has seen his role increase steadily, earning the trust of his coach and becoming the Raptors most reliable reserve. After Johnson was ruled out, Casey expressed concern about disrupting the chemistry of his second unit by removing a key cog in Patterson, however the forwards recent play made the decision an easy one. "I thought the matchup with (Anthony) Davis was a good one for him," Casey said of Patterson, who has scored in double figures 13 times over his last 20 games, averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds, shooting 53 per cent from the field in under 24 minutes per contest during that stretch. "(Patterson) was able to stretch the defence and give us some offensive punch." Patterson gave the Raptors a lift where they needed it most. Toronto had been outscored in the opening quarter of the last four games, all on the road, before returning home Monday and getting off to a rare but crucial quick start against Davis and the Pelicans. Patterson - along with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan - was one of three Raptors to score seven points in the first frame, knocking down both of his shots and helping his team take a 31-20 lead into the second period. Thats where Pattersons presence was missed, as Torontos bench came in and squandered a 15-point advantage. Led by reserve guard Tyreke Evans, New Orleans ripped off a 26-11 run to end the half and would go into the break knotted up with Toronto at 49 points apiece. "For whatever reason we are losing leads with our second unit, what its doing is putting a lot of pressure on our starters and putting them in big minute situations," said Casey with both DeRozan and Lowry hovering around 40 minutes on Monday. "I think they just have to get their rhythm back. Taking (Patterson) off the second unit hurts them a bit, but still we have to gett a rhythm with that second unit so we can rest our starters.dddddddddddd." Heavy mileage has taken its toll on Johnson. The Raptors forward turned his ankle in a win over the Magic late last month - the most recent in a series of ankle injuries - and, to character, had played and started in all five games since. He could have done the same Monday if necessary, Casey indicated before the game, but with the all-star break around the corner and his team poised to make a playoff run over the next couple months, Johnson finally got some much-needed rest. "Its tough to replace a guy like Amir," DeRozan said of Johnson, who had not missed a game to injury since Mar. 5, 2012 (he was suspended for one game last year and sat out the previous season finale). "Everybody has to step up and try to do a little more (without him). Everybody understands their role and once they [saw] Amir [was] out, [they had] to step up and hold down the fort until he gets back." "Were deep," said Lowry, coming off his best game since before the road trip, scoring 19 points to go along with 12 assists and seven boards, five of them offensive. "Thats how we play, thats how we roll. 15 deep." Patterson started six games with the Kings earlier this season and has made 54 starts during his four year career, most of them as a member of the Rockets. With Patterson stepping into the first unit, Tyler Hansbrough - who has fallen out of favour since returning from an ankle injury last month - took advantage of the opportunity he was given off the bench, scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds in 14 minutes. "Tyler and Patrick both carried us tonight," Casey said. "I thought they were huge in their minutes." "Tyler came in and was a pro. He brings physicality to the game that we need." Patterson and Hansbrough shared the assignment of neutralizing Davis, the Pelicans second-year forward, who has been a revelation in the Western Conference this season. Davis scored just two points, hitting one of his six shots in his first appearance at the Air Canada Centre exactly a year ago Monday but hes come a long way since then. The first-time all-star is one of five players averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds and the only one doing so while shooting over 50 per cent from the field. Hes also on pace to become just the fifth player since 1973 to lead the NBA in blocks in his first or second season. "Anthony Davis is one of the most skilled big guys in the league," Casey said before the game, comparing him to a young Kevin Garnett. Davis was glued to the bench in foul trouble late in the third as the Raptors made their run and finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds while Evans, 24 hours after being bench for disciplinary reasons, had 23 points and 10 assists off the bench for New Orleans. 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