Cole Anthony, Gary Harris' strong bench play push Magic over Rockets

Cole Anthony and Gary Harris combined for 31 points off the bench as the Orlando Magic christened the start of their 35th anniversary season with a 116-86 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets Wednesday.

Anthony paired 20 points with eight rebounds, while Harris chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. That duo shot 13 for 20 from the floor to pace a bench unit that amassed 61 points.

After Houston sliced what was once a 17-point deficit to 63-62 early in the third quarter following five combined 3-pointers from Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, Anthony keyed the decisive surge to victory. His three-point play with 2:01 left in the period pushed the Magic lead to 78-69 and was the spark for an 18-3 run that closed the third and extended the lead to 87-69.

Another Orlando reserve, Jonathan Isaac, exploded down the stretch of the third with a layup, a pair of rebounds, and a three-point play featuring a dunk through a Brooks foul. Isaac finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a block in 14 minutes.

Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 17 points in the first quarter, while Paolo Banchero added 12 points for Orlando despite not recording his first field goal until the 3:30 mark of the second quarter. Banchero added five rebounds and five assists while converting 6 of 7 free throws.

VanVleet and Brooks scored 14 points apiece in their Houston debuts. Alperen Sengun posted 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Rockets, who were undone by 18 turnovers.

Wagner started 3 of 3 from behind the arc, and his two free throws at the 4:16 mark of the first quarter pushed the Magic to their first double-digit lead at 22-12. Orlando led by as many as 11 points prior to the start of the second courtesy of seven Houston turnovers in the opening frame.

Harris and Anthony were electric in the second, and a Jalen Suggs 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the half capped a 10-1 run and extended the lead to 54-37. Orlando had 24 bench points at the half.