Two Things to Watch as the Houston Rockets Take on the Magic in Orlando

The Houston Rockets, after starting February 3-3, have rattled off three wins across their last four games. They've come against some of the NBA's bottom feeders, but nonetheless, they're looking for their third win in a row tonight against the Orlando Magic.

Houston took down the Sacramento Kings last night, 128-97, but will have to up the ante in Florida. The Magic are 6-2 across their last eight games, currently 31-26, and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They'll pose more of a challenge as one of the league's better defensive teams.

While Franz Wagner (ankle) is unavailable for Orlando, the Rockets will have Amen Thompson back after a quadriceps tendinitis. With a (mostly) healthy rotation, here are two things to watch in tonight's matchup:

Perimeter Shooting

Three-point shooting is something to watch for a variety of reasons. For one, the Rockets' offensive struggles have been apparent despite ranking sixth in percentage. This is because they're also 29th in three-pointers attempted per game.

As for the Magic, they are a relatively poor offensive team, ranking 16th in that rating. Orlando has struggled to shoot the deep ball at less than 35% on the season. While the defense is its strong suit, it will come down to how each team can stop the deep ball. It should be more of a challenge for the home team.

Over their last three games, the Rockets have allowed opponents to shoot just 24.8% from three, the league's top mark. The Magic aren't far behind at 28%, good for fourth in that stretch.

In his seventh start of the season, Reed Sheppard notched 28 points on 7-of-16 shooting from downtown against the Sacramento Kings last night. He will be a major contributor to watch as a perimeter sniper going up against Orlando's guards.

Fouls

The Magic love to get to the free-throw line, taking 26.7 per game, which ranks second in the NBA. Much of that can be attributed to Banchero, Desmond Bane and Anthony Black, who combine to attempt 15.4. With Wagner out, they'll have more opportunities to attack the rim.

Meanwhile, Houston is in the middle at 23.7 (15th), but shoots under 80% from the line. This is more of a defensive aspect of the game to watch, as the Rockets have posted phenomenal numbers on that end of the floor as of late. They're allowing 105.4 points per game this month, good for third in the league.