Game Rewind: Pacers 121, Magic 108

Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 PM ET at Amway Center

As the Indiana Pacers make a  push for a postseason berth, every win matters.

Saturday’s 121-108 victory over the Orlando Magic, however, was especially important for the Blue & Gold.

By beating Orlando, winning the season series 3-1, Indiana stays one spot ahead of the Magic in the Eastern Conference standings and are within 2.5 games of the final Play-In Tournament berth.

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After trailing by a point at halftime, the Pacers (27-35) went on a 17-2 run four minutes into the second half and didn’t look back as they kicked off a four-game road trip with the 13-point victory over the Magic (25-36).

The Pacers bench was dominant in the win, outscoring the Magic’s reserves 56-40.

Off the bench, Jordan Nwora, in his fourth game as a Pacer since being traded from Milwaukee, had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists while rookie Bennedict Mathurin provided 19 points and two rebounds and Jalen Smith had seven points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

Pacers veteran center Myles Turner led the Pacers with 24 points while All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded 15 points and 14 assists.

Franz Wagner topped the Magic with 21 points to go along with five rebounds while Paolo Banchero added 19 points and six rebounds.

“Our second unit was sensational in this game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Jalen Smith and (Jordan) Nwora really were exceptional off the bench. Nwora gave us a lot of presence. He scored the ball, he was running in transition, he was solid defensively, rebounded – a lot of good stuff. Jalen Smith…five blocked shots. And you know, he kind of anchored the defense for that second group.”

The teams tied nine times and traded the lead eight times in the first half, but the Magic held the advantage at 52-51 by intermission.

Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the basket off the tip, as the Pacers made three of their first 10 shot attempts, with rookie Andrew Nembhard draining a pair of 3-pointers, and the Magic hitting just two of their first 10 shots.

Seven straight points by 6-10 forward Franz Wagner gave the Magic a 15-11 lead with 4:50 left in the first quarter, but the Pacers answered with a 9-2 run on four free throws by Mathurin to retake the lead at 20-17.

Indiana maintained the edge by the buzzer, holding a 27-25 lead into the second quarter. In the opening frame, the Pacers shot just 33 percent but made all seven of their free throw attempts.

Mo Wagner – Franz Wagner’s  6-11 older brother – scored back-to-back baskets to open the second quarter before Banchero made a free throw to give Magic the lead back.

However, the Pacers again answered again as Smith drilled a 3-pointer and T.J. McConnell converted a spinning layup to put the Pacers up 32-30 with 10 minutes left in the half.

The teams then tied the game three times before Nwora threw down back-to-back dunks as the Blue & Gold led 40-36 with 7:10 on the clock.

In the final 2:33 of the half, the Pacers outscored the Magic 7-4 but trailed by a point.

The Pacers opened the second half on a 9-0 scoring spree, led by five points from Nembhard and four from Turner, to go up 60-52 by 9:53 in the third quarter. Nembhard would go on to finish with 13 points.

Threes from Buddy Hield and Haliburton then gave the Pacers a 68-54 lead with 7:47 left in the third quarter.

From there the Magic went on a 8-0 run, but the Pacers kept them at bay taking an 82-74 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Pacers went on an 11-2 run – thanks in part to six points from Mathurin –  from 11:07 to 9:40 in the fourth quarter to lead 93-78.

A 6-0 mini run, on baskets from Nwora, McConnell and Smith, then bolstered the Pacers lead to 101-82 with 7:22 left and the Blue & Gold held on from there. The closest the Magic got to the lead was 13 points.

Overall, the Pacers shot 48.5 percent from the field and the Magic shot 38.9 percent. Indiana made 15 3-pointers to Orlando’s six.

The Pacers were outrebounded 55-45 but outscored the Magic 62-58 in the paint.

Indiana had just seven turnovers in the game to Orlando’s 13 giveaways.

"It just felt good to win," Turner said. "Individual performances are nice, but at the same time it's nice to get back into the win column. We haven't had a road win in a while. This is a big one for team morale."

The Pacers will travel to Dallas to take on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Tuesday before going to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and concluding at the Chicago Bulls on March 5.

Haliburton now has 28 double-doubles this season.

Haliburton has recorded 14 assists in two straight games and has finished with at least 14 assists in a game 10 times this season.

Smith had a career-high five blocks in the game.

Mathurin and Banchero – the two frontrunners for the Rookie of the Year award, both finished with 19 points. Head-to-head, Mathurin outscored Banchero 45-42 in the two games when both played.

The Pacers were one turnover short of matching their season low for a game.

Nembhard has scored 10 or more points 16 times this season.

Nwora’s 18 points were the first time he cracked double digits since joining the Pacers.

“As long as (Haliburton) is dressed and out there playing, I feel really good all the time. He has the controls. I mean, he's calling 98 percent of the plays out there. His pulse on the game was terrific.” – Carlisle on Haliburton controlling the offense

“One of the championship habits that we're trying to build, or one of the championship skills, is the ability to play free-flowing game(s).” – Carlilse on the ball movement

“It was a low-scoring first half, especially for us. We knew we were due for a big quarter. We always feel that way. We came out and got enough stops that were able to run and get in transition. We’ve said it all year: when we are able to play in transition, we are a really tough team to stop.” -- Haliburton on the third quarter start

“We felt like that last game against Boston, that was a game for us where …  we got our swagger back a little bit." -- Haliburton on bouncing back after the overtime loss to the Celtics

"I feel like I'm learning every day with these guys. Everybody has been super helpful. I'm glad to be here and I'm glad I'm here with these guys. Everyone has been helping me out a lot, so it's been good." -- Nwora on his performance

"I felt good. One of my big emphasis on the team is my paint presence. That's something we lead the NBA in. Obviously, Myles (Tuner) and Isaiah (Jackson) are a (big part) of that and I just try to get my fair share here and there. That was pretty much my job tonight -- being the defensive anchor for the second unit." -- Smith on his career-high five blocks

"I just think that I'm comfortable, I'm where I want to be, and I'm growing with a young team that's hungry. I think we're just trying to get better and better every day and that's the main goal of this whole thing. I have a lot of belief in this city, a lot of belief in this program, a lot of belief in the guys in this locker room." -- Turner on his high level of play the season

The Pacers’ bench outscored the Magic’s reserves 56-40 in the game. This season, the Pacers bench has scored 50 or more points in a game 16 times.

The Pacers travel to Dallas for their first matchup of the season against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 PM ET.

After a four-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, March 6 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>