While it's been a relatively quiet season for Dwight Howard, a matchup against the Orlando Magic could be just what he needs to get going.
A confrontation with an intense adversary apparently wasn't enough.
Howard tries to continue his success against his former team as the visiting Houston Rockets go for a fifth consecutive win over the Magic on Wednesday night.
After battling a slew of injures over the past few years, Howard is averaging 16.8 points for his lowest mark since posting 15.8 per game in his second season with Orlando in 2005-06. The eight-time All-Star is averaging 24.8 points and 16.5 rebounds in four meetings against Orlando since getting traded by the Magic to the Lakers in August 2012. Houston has averaged 107.0 points during its four-game winning streak in the series.
The surging Rockets (27-11) have also won four straight overall after opening a two-game trek with Monday's 113-99 victory over Brooklyn. James Harden scored 30 points as Houston shot 16 of 40 from 3-point range, but Howard finished with eight for the second consecutive game after getting into it with Kevin Garnett.
Garnett was ejected in the first quarter after head-butting Howard in the face and throwing the ball at him, while Howard was hit with a technical foul after appearing to punch or slap Garnett in the neck. Howard was later fined $15,000 but escaped without suspension.
"As long as we win the game, that's all that matters," said Howard, who shot just 3 of 9. "We've got 82 games and the playoffs. I'll do my damage when it's time."
Houston has averaged 108.8 points in outscoring opponents by 16.3 per game during its run. The Rockets haven't won five straight since opening 6-0.
"We've been locked in these last few games," said Harden, the NBA's leading scorer with 26.9 points per contest. "We're feeling really good about ourselves right now."
The Magic (14-27) were also in high spirits after snapping a season-worst six-game losing streak with Monday's 121-114 win at Chicago. Victor Oladipo had a season-high 33 points and Nikola Vucevic added 33 with 11 rebounds as Orlando recorded its highest scoring total of the season.
"When we're aggressive on defense and we're pushing the pace on offense, that gives us more opportunities to score more points," reserve Willie Green told the team's official website. "Vooch and Vic carried us offensively and everybody else just played their role. For us, it's just about us needing to score more points."
The Magic also shot 59.3 percent for their highest mark in more than four years. They had been limited to an average of 90.0 points and 40.7 percent shooting during their skid.
"I think we're figuring out how we have to play to be effective," Oladipo said. "We've just got to continue to keep playing that way."
Orlando now returns home, where it's dropped four straight and 12 of 16 overall.
Harden totaled 58 points while shooting 18 of 36 in last season's two-game series sweep. Houston is 19-3 when he scores at least 25.
The Rockets are 11-3 against Eastern Conference foes, including 6-1 on the road.
Magic forward Tobias Harris, averaging 18.0 points to rank second on the team, is uncertain to be available after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Evan Fournier (knee) could also be held out again.
