Tug of war! The Rockets were 14 points behind at one point: Durant struggled with 15 points, and the No. 3 pick continued to explode.

On November 17, the NBA regular season continues, with the Rockets playing against the Magic at home. In this game, the Rockets had a sluggish offensive feel and failed to withstand the impact of the Magic. They were once behind by 14 points. Fortunately, the Rockets launched a 12-0 offensive to close the score. Unfortunately, they failed to continue the momentum. The Magic blossomed inside and outside and widened the gap again. Durant stepped forward and scored points one after another to help the team stabilize the situation. After halftime, the Rockets trailed the Magic 46-55.

The Magic are short of major generals in this game, with Banqueiro and Suggs both absent. Amen hit a jumper, and Carter Jr. responded with a three-pointer. Neither team felt very good coming up. Wagner Jr. broke through and scored points, Bane scored in a counterattack, and the Grizzlies took some initiative. The Rockets were in poor offensive condition. Wagner Jr. hit a three-pointer to take a 15-6 lead. Shen Jing broke through and scored to stop the bleeding, but Carter Jr. continued to score points. Black counterattacked and scored, and the point difference widened to 12 points. Smith stopped the bleeding with a dunk, and Wagner Jr. responded directly with a three-pointer. The Magic still took the initiative on the court. Silva hit a three-pointer, Durant held on at 2+1, and then sent out a nail plate block. Shepard broke through and scored. The Rockets trailed the Magic 23-30 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Shepard scored another three-pointer and then a jumper. He launched a 12-0 offensive across the quarter to close the gap. Isaac hit a three-pointer to stabilize the situation, Bain broke through and scored points, the Magic regained the initiative, Holiday hit a three-pointer, and the Rockets took advantage again. Wagner Jr. hit a three-pointer, Shepard responded directly, Durant made two free throws and the difference was only 2 points. Silva hit a three-pointer and then broke through. The Rockets' offense declined, and the Magic scored points one after another, successfully widening the point difference again. Durant broke through and scored, trailing the Magic 46-55 at halftime.

The Rockets' performance in the first half was a bit poor, hitting 3 of 8 from beyond the three-point line. On the other hand, their opponents hit 9 three-pointers, relying more on Durant's singles to hold on to the score. Durant made 6 of 11 shots in the half and scored 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, but Shen Jing and Amen beside him were all lost. Fortunately, last year's No. 3 overall pick Shepard, who was on the bench, scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shots. His recent continuous outbreaks have helped the team.

For the Magic, Wagner Jr. scored 16 points and Silva 12 points.