As the Houston Rockets headed into the locker room at halftime, there was a multitude of factors that led to the dejected looks on the faces of the players.

They trailed the Orlando Magic by two points after leading most of the second quarter. Starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. reinjured himself and displayed a slight limp in his walk, and center Christian Wood was in a shooting slump, having scored just two points.

If the Rockets wanted to extend their winning streak to five games, they would need someone to step up and give them the energy needed to get them through the second half. It didn’t take long to figure out who that spark plug would be for Houston.

Early in the third quarter, Wood grabbed a defensive rebound, ran down the court, and got into a high pick-and-roll option play that put him behind the 3-point line when a defender dropped into the lane to prevent him from getting to the basket. He received the pass from teammate Eric Gordon, and without hesitation, put up a shot that went straight in.

As Houston went back on the defensive side of the court, Wood blocked a driving hook shot by Orlando rookie Franz Wagner out of bounds and stole the ball on the very next play. It was clear that Wood had established himself as the dominant force and liveliness the Rockets needed on their way to a 118-116 victory over the Orlando Magic.

“It was huge,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas about Wood’s huge third quarter. “He was angry, and he wanted the ball more. He did a lot of good things and got us the lead. His aggressiveness is super important for our group, not just for him, but it opens it up for everyone else.”

Wood’s slow start could be attributed to him returning after suffering a sprained ankle in the first half at Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Speaking with the media postgame, Wood said he had no lingering pain.

“I knew I had to be assertive,” said Wood who finished the quarter with 16 points. “Coach was telling me to be assertive and get mad. Attack the paint to create mismatches for the other guys and it worked out.”

The Rockets will be back on the court Sunday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center.