Indiana Pacers fall short against Orlando Magic on home floor
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. It was the second meeting of the season between the two young, growing teams. The Magic are a wonderful defensive squad while the Pacers thrive on offense, so the contrast in styles was going to define this game.
Orlando beat Indiana easily last month, so the blue and gold perhaps had revenge on the mind. That was their worst performance of the season, the Magic crushed them on their home court.
To begin the action in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the two teams alternated baskets for the first four-and-a-half minutes. The largest lead from either team in that span was just two points. Neither group was putting their stamp on the game, and the Pacers were ahead 12-10 at that point.
Foul trouble quickly became a story for the Pacers. Andrew Nembhard, who was starting in the absence of Bruce Brown, and Myles Turner both picked up two early fouls and had to go to the bench. Indiana's rotation was going to be different.
The Magic climbed ahead over the next few minutes, taking a five-point lead with about four minutes to go in the first quarter. But the Pacers remained active and aggressive with Tyrese Haliburton leading the way — the star guard was hunting for his shot.
Orlando held on to their small advantage for the next few minutes before a small burst late in the frame. They went on a 7-0 run over the final 77 seconds of the quarter and were ahead 36-27 at the end of the period. Their size was already proving difficult for Indiana, who was led by Haliburton's eight points.
The Magic kept rolling to start the second quarter. The Pacers looked overmatched on both ends as they watched their opponent balloon their lead to 15 after just a few minutes. Indiana had to play better, and fast.
After making some earlier-than-normal substitutions, the blue and gold did hit a stride. Andrew Nembhard knocked down some important shots while the Pacers got a few stops. That helped slash the Magic's lead down to eight, and Orlando took a timeout in response.
The game turned into a back-and-forth fight after the stoppage. The Pacers had a few key plays give them some needed momentum, but the Magic were ready with answers every time. Orlando was getting great contributions from their frontcourt.
The foul trouble issue popped up again late in the second quarter. With Turner off the floor with an injury, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson were needed at center. But they both had three or more fouls with the half winding down. The blue and gold watched their center rotation dissolve quickly, and their deficit was growing.
Indiana's defensive struggles continued as the half came to a close. The Magic were ahead 73-59 at the break, and Paolo Banchero already had 23 points at halftime. Haliburton's 17 points and eight assists were impressive, but the Pacers defense was not. They needed more in the second half.
The second half began with the Pacers as the better team for the first three minutes. They trimmed the 14-point deficit down to eight in that stretch and looked like they had found some juice with their paint attacks. Their defense still needed work, but the Pacers showed signs of life.
Indiana kept surging as the third quarter progressed, pushing the lead down as low as two. Haliburton's level was terrific, and both Nembhard and Turner were making good plays. Indiana was right back in the game.
With 4:58 to go in the period, Turner threw down a monster dunk to tie the score. The Indianapolis crowd was fully into the game and erupted into a de-fense chant on the next possession, and the Pacers got a huge stop. Turner drilled a three to give his team a lead on the next trip down the floor, which prompted an Orlando timeout. Their big halftime lead was gone.
The Magic responded out of the break and grabbed the lead back temporarily, but this was a competitive game again. Neither team had momentum or a big advantage, so the close to the third frame was going to be important.
Orlando took advantage during that stretch, but only barely. They were ahead 93-92 heading into the final frame after Indiana outscored them 33-20 in the third period. Haliburton and Turner were rolling for the blue and gold.
The Pacers had the momentum entering the final quarter despite being behind on the scoreboard. They needed to take advantage.
But after a few minutes of action, the Magic were still ahead. Their defense was tough for Indiana to break down consistently. It led to transition opportunities for the road team. A 6-0 Magic run had them up by seven with 8:30 remaining in the game.
The Pacers answered and cut the lead back down to one at 102-101. They were battling hard after a slow start and looked like the better team for much of the second half, but time was against them. They needed a string of stops.
They didn't get it right away and watched the Magic's lead get bigger. If the Pacers were going to win, their next few minutes had to feature flawless defense. Anything short of that wasn't going to be enough.
With 2:46 to go, the Magic led by nine points while the Pacers had the ball coming out of a timeout. The upcoming offensive set was going to be important for Indiana if they wanted to have any chance of winning.
They ran a clean play and got a bucket from Nembhard, and they followed it up with a stop. But the run ended there. Orlando was the next team to score, and they were up by nine with about one minute to go. This game was over.
The Magic went on to defeat the Pacers 117-110. They were solid on defense all night, a theme for their victories over the blue and gold this season. Orlando is a tough matchup for Indiana.
Turner finished with 24 points and seven rebounds. Haliburton had 29 points and 14 assists, he appeared to get back on track. Buddy Hield contributed 20 points. The Pacers fell to 14-14 — exactly .500.
Indiana next plays on December 26 when they take on the Rockets in Houston.
- James Johnson back with Indiana Pacers to provide wisdom and toughness. CLICK HERE.
- The Pacers can't just hope to outscore teams and win — their defense must get better. CLICK HERE.
- Pacers guard Isaiah Wong developing his point guard skills in the G League. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers drop game in Memphis during Ja Morant's home return for Grizzlies. CLICK HERE.
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