The Houston Rockets (45 - 22) defeated the Orlando Magic (21 - 48) 107 - 94 on Tuesday at the Toyota Center in Houston. While the Magic are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs in the East after losing five games in a row, the Rockets remain in the thick of things in the West. They continue to stick as the projected fourth seed for the playoffs, but sit just behind the Portland Trail Blazers, who currently own a 44 - 21 record. If the Trail Blazers go on to lose to the Heat on Wednesday, the Rockets would then take over the third spot in the Western Conference standings with a half game lead over Portland. The Rockets were the superior shooters in this game, going 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from the three - point line, while the Magic finished at just 43 percent from the floor and 27 percent from deep. Donatas Motiejunas was dialed in from the start, as he went 8 - for - 12 from the field and 2 - for - 2 from the three - point line to score a team - high of 23 points, while also adding seven rebounds and four assists. After shooting just 20 percent (3 - 15 FG) during Sunday's game against the Clippers, it was a nice bounce - back game for him. While James Harden struggled with his shot, he continued to get to the free throw line like he has all season and finished with 17 points (4 - 14 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 8 - 11 FT), eight rebounds and three steals. While it was n't his best performance, Harden remains entrenched in the conversation as one of the top three potential MVP candidates in the league. On the season, he boasts averages of 27 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists per game. Trevor Ariza recorded 17 points (7 - 11 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt) of his own, to go along with five rebounds and five asssists. The Rockets received some strong contributions from their bench as well though, with both Josh Smith and Corey Brewer reaching double figures. Smith finished with 17 points (6 - 9 FG, 2 - 2 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) and five rebounds, while Brewer had 13 points (5 - 10 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and 12 rebounds. While they ended up suffering the loss, Victor Oladipo did his best to keep the Magic in this game. He went 11 - for - 21 from the field and 1 - for - 3 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 29 points, while also adding four rebounds and four steals. He's on a nice two - game stretch where he's combined for 54 points, 10 assists and six steals. Nikola Vucevic did n't have his best game offensively, but still posted 11 points (5 - 17 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt) to go along with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. It marked his fourth double - double in a row, a stretch where he's averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds. Elfrid Payton chipped in with 10 points (5 - 9 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt) and seven assists as well, while Ben Gordon came off the bench for 13 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) in just 19 minutes. Tobias Harris left the game with a sprained ankle after playing just 17 minutes. The Rockets' next game will be at home against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, while the Magic will travel to Dallas to play the Mavericks on Wednesday.
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 "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Vucevic') has 2 Assists ,has 17 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 11 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Victor Oladipo') has 3 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 21 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 29 Field goals made ,has 4 Free throws attempted ,has 4 Free throws made ."
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 "PlayerStat(G,'Ben Gordon') has 4 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 9 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 19 Free throws attempted ,has 13 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Trevor Ariza') has 5 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ,has 5 Free throws attempted ."
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 "PlayerStat(G,'Corey Brewer') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 2 Field goals attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 13 Free throws made ,has 12 Minutes played ,has 2 Offensive rebounds ."]