Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic Prediction, 2/26/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Kia Center in Orlando, FL

TV: Prime Video

The Orlando Magic (31-26) will go up against the Houston Rockets (35-21) at Kia Center on Thursday.

The Rockets took the court against the Jazz and went home with a win by a final score of 125-105 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Rockets ended up with 20 while the Jazz had 10 fouls. They also made 8 of their 44 tries from beyond the arc. Utah finished the contest at 83.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 25 of 30 shots. Furthermore, Utah totaled 36 rebounds (13 offensive, 23 defensive) and got 8 rejections. Utah doled out 23 dimes and had 17 steals in this game. With regard to defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 36.7% from the field on 36 out of 98 shooting. They also distributed 34 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and getting 10 steals. Concerning grabbing boards, they collected a total of 53 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Rockets made 9 of 11 tries for a rate of 81.8%. Houston finished the game with a 57.0% field goal percentage (49 out of 86) and made 18 out of their 40 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Jabari Smith Jr. is one guy who was a contributor in the game. Smith Jr. ended up going 70.6% from the field but didn't record an assist. He played 33 minutes and snagged 9 boards. He walked away with 31 points on 12 out of 17 shooting.

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Houston heads into this one with a win-loss record of 35-21 for the season. They are averaging 114.5 points per contest (21st in the NBA) while shooting 47.3% from the floor. The Rockets are connecting on 37.0% on shots from distance (639 of 1,726) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Houston is pulling down 48.5 rebounds per game and is sitting with 1,385 assists this season, which ranks 28th in basketball in terms of passing. They are turning it over 15.6 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Rockets are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.0 personal fouls. They are surrendering 34.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 3rd in the NBA in points per game allowed (109.4). The Rockets defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.6% (2,250 of 4,931) and they surrender 39.6 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 2nd in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,370 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Magic went home victorious with a score of 110-109 against the Lakers. The Magic collected 35 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 47 in this contest. They turned it over 11 times, while earning 7 steals in the game. The Lakers committed 19 personal fouls for this game which got the Magic to the charity stripe for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to make 17 of them for a rate of 73.9%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, Orlando made 7 out of their 29 attempts (24.1%). When all was said and done, the Magic went 43 for 94 from the field which had them shooting 45.7%. The Magic permitted the Lakers to convert 40 of 83 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.2% for the game. They finished the game shooting 31.0% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 9 out of 29 and finished the game at 20 out of 28 from the charity stripe (71.4%). When it comes to rebounding, Orlando permitted Los Angeles to pull down 39 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Paolo Banchero ended up having an impact for the Magic in the matchup. Banchero earned 36 points in his 38 mins on the court and accounted for 6 dimes for the contest. He made 12 of 22 in this contest giving him a rate of 54.5%, and totaled 10 rebounds.

Orlando has a win-loss record of 31-26 this year. The Magic are committing 20.9 fouls every game and they go 79.8% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 26.4 times per contest (15th in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.8 times per contest. Orlando has totaled 6,560 points for the year (115.1 per game) and they snag 43.5 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Magic are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which is ranked 20th in basketball.

The Orlando defense concedes 35.6% on 3-point attempts (672 of 1,885) and opponents are converting on 78.0% of their free throw attempts. They give up 25.2 assists and 43.8 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 8th and 14th in basketball. The Magic are ranked 12th in the NBA in PPG given up with 114.6. They are forcing 15.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.7% from the field (23rd in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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