Fournier says ankle is OK

HOUSTON — rolled his right ankle during the Orlando Magic’s 114-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, but he insisted the ankle felt “fine” immediately after the game. Fournier tweaked the ankle when he elevated for a 3-pointer early in the third quarter and stepped on right foot when he descended.

In December, Fournier missed eight consecutive games because he sprained the ankle when he landed on a teammate’s heel.

Fournier remained in Saturday’s game after he tweaked his ankle. In a team-high 33 minutes, he scored 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting.

“It’s fine,” Fournier said when asked about his ankle. “It’s just still a little sensitive from the sprain that I had a couple of months ago, but it’s fine.” The Magic didn’t practice Sunday. They are scheduled to practice Monday to prepare for their game Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

The Magic’s defense continues to be a severe problem.

The team allowed the Pacers to shoot 63 percent from the field during Saturday’s second half.

“They started the second half with two straight line drives [to the hoop],” Magic coach said. “That’s the biggest thing that disappointed me. But they’re a winning team for a reason. They have great energy here in their building and credit them.”

Rockets forward suffered a hamstring injury early in the Rockets’ 113-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon. Rockets coach said Ariza would be evaluated on Monday.

While the Magic had Sunday off, their mascot, was busy.

Stuff and several other NBA mascots performed at Sunday’s SunsRockets game in Houston as part of the “birthday” celebration for the Rockets’ mascot, a bear named