Indiana Pacers win fourth straight game thanks to creative rotation against Orlando Magic
INDIANAPOLIS — The Orlando Magic are one of the biggest teams in the NBA, and they started a lineup with four players who are at least 6-foot-8-inches tall against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
The Magic's size was bothering the Pacers for a while to open the game. The space to drive to the basket was tighter, and the passing lanes were smaller. Indiana's offense could not find consistency against the larger squad.
So, naturally, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle turned to a smaller group with the 6-foot-5-inch Terry Taylor at center. And it worked perfectly.
The Pacers were down for the first two-and-a-half quarters of the game, and the Magic had an answer for every Pacers run. With 5:22 to go in the third quarter, Carlisle subbed in Taylor for the first time of the night with his team trailing by three.
By the end of the quarter, the Pacers were up by five. Taylor had just three points and two rebounds individually, but his speed on the interior allowed a small-ball unit to connect, and Indiana went o a big run that turned the game around 180 degrees.
"Terry had effective games against them last year," Carlisle said when citing some of his reasoning for turning to the second-year forward. Taylor averaged 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in three games against Orlando as a rookie. The head coach went on to praise Taylor's hard play in the short moment he hit the court.
In the Pacers last nine games, Taylor has played for just over six total minutes combined. But he was a game-changing presence for the blue and gold on Saturday night, and the team had a lead thanks to his strong performance.
But there was still work to be done. The Pacers weren't up by much, and the Magic still had their giant lineups they could use to alter the game. Despite Indiana capturing the momentum, things were far from settled.
The Pacers went up by seven with 8:33 to go in the fourth quarter, only for Orlando to retake the lead two minutes later. Indiana then battled back to go up by four only for the Magic to once again steal the lead away. The final 12 minutes were fantastic as the teams traded blows.
The Magic found themselves up by four with about 90 seconds to go, but Aaron Nesmith quickly found space for the Pacers and buried a three-point shot to make it a one point game late. And neither team could buy a bucket for the next minute or so.
But with ten seconds to go, after a missed jumper by Tyrese Haliburton, Nesmith skied and grabbed an offensive rebound to keep possession for the blue and gold. Mo Bamba immediately fouled Nesmith, which put him on the free throw line. The first-year Pacer hit both free throws, which was enough for the Pacers to carry a lead into the final moments. They just needed one stop to win.
After an impressive defensive possession, they got it:
The final score was 114-113. "We lifted our level of physicality," Carlisle said of his team's improved second half play.
"Just getting stops and getting out and run," Haliburton noted of the growth between the first and second half. "They switch a lot, and we were able to take advantage of that."
Haliburton was excellent for the Pacers despite being a game-time decision to play with an ankle injury he suffered in Houston. He didn't know if he would be able to suit up in the matchup until he showed up to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, but he still had 22 points and 14 assists. Those stat lines have become normal for the point guard.
Nesmith put together his best game of the campaign with 19 points and five made three pointers. Carlisle nearly opened the second half with Nesmith after he played so well in the first two quarters, and the third-year wing was in the Pacers closing lineup. He was excellent on both ends for the team.
"Aaron Nesmith had a big impact on this game defensively," Carlisle said. "It was great to see him get involved at both ends of the floor and have a game like that."
Myles Turner finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games. Jalen Smith (14 points) and Buddy Hield (15 points) both contributed as well.
Indiana is now 9-6 and has won four games in a row. They have victories in eight of their last ten games and have just one loss in the month of November. They are now tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
They will look to move into the top-four of the conference on Monday when they take on the Magic in a rematch of Saturday night's game.
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