Houston, April 2 (IANS) Playing without two top scorers, the Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 111-103 in an NBA match.
The Rockets’ leading scorer James Harden sat out for the second straight game with a sore right foot while small forward Chandler Parsons was also unavailable with an illness, reports Xinhua.
But Omer Asik filled the void by scoring 22 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. Jeremy Lin added 19 points and 11 assists and Francisco Garcia scored 14 points and dished out five assists for the Rockets.
Rookie Maurice Harkless poured in a game-high 28 points and Beno Udrih added 17 points and 10 assists for the Magic.
The Rockets shot 57.7 percent while holding Orlando to just 5-for-19 shooting in the first quarter to take a 32-14 lead after the first 12 minutes.
Houston’s lead grew as large as 24 in the second, and held a 65-43 lead at the break.
The Rockets dominated most of the fourth quarter, leading once by as much as 20. But the Magic rallied with a 20-6 run to make it 106-101, with two minutes to go.
The Rockets held the Magic to just two points to lock up their victory.
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