Magic Vs. Rockets: Dwight Howard, Orlando Rebound From Christmas Day Loss

After a disappointing start to their season on Christmas Day, the Orlando Magic bounced back Monday against the Houston Rockets, winning 104-95 in their home opener. Dwight Howard, who shot just 4-12 from the field on Sunday, responded with 21 points on 9-15 shooting.

While Howard anchored the middle, it was Hedo Turkoglu who led all scorers with 23 points (10-14 shooting), including 13 in the final quarter. J.J. Redick also came through late, scoring eight of his 20 points (8-12 shooting) in the final frame. Both Turkoglu and Redick shot 3-4 from three-point land.

If there's one consolation Kevin McHale can take from losing his first game coaching the Rockets, it's that Kevin Martin will likely never shoot 1-10 from the field again all season. Martin, known for his efficiency, has shot 44.5 percent from the field for his career. He finished with just four points -- or 19.5 fewer than he averaged last season. He was truly horrible on Monday; if he was merely bad, let alone average, it's not hard to imagine the Rockets sending the Magic to 0-2.

With Martin struggling, point guard Kyle Lowry picked up the scoring load with 20 points to go with his 12 assists. Luis Scola added 19 points and seven boards.

Jordan Hill, who scored six points with six rebounds in nearly 20 minutes, started at center for the Rockets. The newly signed Samuel Dalembert, who will likely move into the starting lineup sooner rather than later, added 10 with five boards in the same amount of playing time.

In addition to Howard, Turkoglu and Redick, the Magic had two other players finish with double-digit scoring: Jason Richardson scored 10 points on 5-8 shooting, with Glen Davis adding 13 and four boards off the bench.