Game Rewind: Pacers 110, Magic 117

Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

For the second time in a month, the upstart Orlando Magic came into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and knocked off the Pacers.

The Magic dominated the first meeting, leading by as many as 40 points in a runaway victory on Nov. 19. Indiana (14-14) was much more competitive this time around, but the end result was the same, as Orlando (17-11) pulled away in the closing minutes for a 117-110 victory.

The Pacers trailed by 14 points at halftime, but rallied in the third quarter behind 15 points from center Myles Turner to trim the deficit to just one point entering the fourth quarter.

The Blue & Gold briefly tied the game at 95 following Buddy Hield's fifth 3-pointer of the night with 10:27 to play, but Orlando strung together seven straight points over the next minute and a half to retake the lead.

Indiana got back within one at 102-101 following Turner's jumper with 6:31 to play, but two Paolo Banchero layups and a pair of free throws from Anthony Black pushed the gap back to seven.

After a Tyrese Haliburton layup, Aaron Nesmith fouled Franz Wagner on a 3-point attempt with 4:05 remaining. It was Nesmith's sixth foul, ending his night, and Wagner hit all three free throws to extend the margin to eight.

The Pacers never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Haliburton recorded his 20th double-double of the season in the loss, tallying a team-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting (3-of-5 from 3-point range) and 14 assists. Turner added 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, and four blocks.

But Banchero had a game-high 34 points to go along with seven boards and four assists for Orlando, going 11-for-20 from the field and 12-for-16 from the free throw line. Wagner added 24 points while going 8-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe as the Magic snapped a four-game losing streak.

With the loss, the Pacers slipped to .500 on the season for the first time since they were 2-2 on Nov. 3. They have dropped six of their last seven contests.

"We are what our record is right now," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're a .500 team. We've had high highs and we've had low lows and we've got to become more consistent. We're making some strides on defense. It's the third game in a row where we've held opponents under 120, which is progress for us. We've got to continue with that."

Veteran guard Bruce Brown was scratched shortly before Saturday's game due to a right knee bone bruise. Carlisle opted to start second-year guard Andrew Nembhard in Brown's place and Nembhard rewarded that decision with a strong start, scoring six of Indiana's first 10 points.

The Magic surged in front midway through the opening frame thanks to a 9-2 run. Haliburton kept the Blue & Gold within striking distance, scoring eight points in the first quarter.

But Banchero scored 12 points on the other end and Orlando closed the first quarter with seven unanswered points to take a 36-27 lead into the second quarter.

The Magic tacked on a 7-1 spurt at the start of the quarter to stretch their lead to 15. The Pacers found their shooting stroke shortly thereafter, connecting on jumpers on five straight possessions, with four different players (Haliburton, Hield, Nembhard, and Turner) hitting a three over that stretch.

That got Indiana within seven, a margin they cut it to on four separate occasions, but couldn't get any closer.

Fouls became a problem late in the second quarter for Indiana. Starting center Turner picked up a third foul and bumped knees with Magic guard Gary Harris with 4:44 remaining in the first half. He headed to the locker room and later returned with his left knee wrapped.

Backup center Jalen Smith also had three fouls at the time, so the Pacers subbed in third-year big man Isaiah Jackson, who picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession, forcing Smith to return. Nesmith then picked up three fouls in a 56-second span to become the fourth Pacers frontcourt player with at least three fouls at the intermission.

"Teams live at the free throw line against us," Haliburton said. "It's been a recurring theme, something that's been noticeable since the Lakers game (in the In-Season Tournament Championship) really. We didn't foul as much in the second half. That allowed us to get out and run. Teams are attacking us to get us to foul because they can't get out and run with us. When we don't foul, we're a lot better."

Indiana trailed 73-59 at the half, but the Blue & Gold mounted a charge at the start of the third quarter. Hield and Haliburton each hit a three and Turner did the rest of the damage during a 14-6 Indiana run to open the half.

The 6-11 big man scored eight points in the first 3:34, including back-to-back baskets where he threw down a two-hand dunk in the lane, then intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass and drove right back to the rim for a layup.

Turner continued to provide highlights as the quarter progressed. He swatted away an attempted alley oop to Wendell Carter Jr. with 5:33 remaining in the quarter, then tied the game at 81 two possessions later, throwing down a massive tomahawk slam off a dish from Haliburton in the pick-in-roll.

After an Orlando turnover, Turner popped and drilled a three from the top of the key to put Indiana in front 84-81 with 4:23 remaining in the third quarter, the Blue & Gold's first lead since the six-minute mark of the first quarter.

"Once I see my opportunities, I just try to get as aggressive as possible," Turner said of his big third quarter. "I've got to make more opportunities for myself. I think I know that. Especially in the second half...I've just got to keep picking and choosing my spots to be aggressive and need to be more aggressive down the stretch."

The Magic surged back in front thanks to a 12-4 run, but Hield scored four points on the Pacers' final possession (hitting a free throw after a defensive three seconds violation, then draining his fourth three of the night) to trim the deficit to 93-92 entering the fourth.

But the final frame belonged to the Magic, who gradually pulled away over the closing minutes while holding the Pacers to a season-low 18 points in the final frame.

Hield finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for Indiana in the loss, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range. Nembhard added a season-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and five assists, while Smith scored 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Fishers native Harris had 15 points for the Magic, while Cole Anthony tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists off the bench.

The Pacers have just three games remaining in the calendar year. After off days on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they travel to Houston on Tuesday and Chicago on Thursday before returning to Indianapolis to host New York on Dec. 30.

Haliburton has 20 double-doubles on the season, the most of any guard in the NBA. He matched his season high with 40 minutes and added 14 more assists to his league-leading total. He has dished out 14 or more assists in eight games this season.

Turner topped 20 points for the seventh time this season and blocked four shots for the second straight game and the fourth time this season.

Nembhard's 17 points were his most in 19 games this season. His previous high was 14 at Boston on Nov. 1. He started for the third time this season with Brown being sidelined.

Orlando had a major advantage at the free throw line on Saturday. The Magic went 33-for-41 (80.5 percent) on the night, while the Pacers went 9-for-13 (69.2 percent). Indiana was whistled for 30 fouls, while Orlando committed just 18.

The Magic outscored Indiana 64-40 in points in the paint.

The Pacers outscored Orlando by 27 points from 3-point range. Indiana went 15-for-34 (44.1 percent), while the Magic were 6-for-18 (33.3 percent).

"The thing that concerns me is giving up 73 in the first half and only 44 in the second half. It just speaks to our readiness to compete right off the bat. It's not okay to (need) to get smashed in the face to bring the force necessary. That's how it went tonight." -Carlisle on the Pacers' propensity for slow starts

"Wagner and Banchero, they do a hell of a job of getting downhill. That's why they're so good because they slow the game down. A team like us, we play fast. So they're on the free throw line and we're just walking the ball back up to them. Their length can be a big factor and we can't get into the flow that we want to. We've got to do a better job not fouling." -Hield on the Pacers' foul troubles

"We flew around a lot better this game than we did last game. I'm really not mad at our defensive efforts. I think we held them to (44) points in the second half. Terrible first half, but we prove night in and night out that we can do it, but we just wait too long. I feel like sometimes we wait to get punched to punch back and it can't be that way." -Turner on the Pacers' defense

"I thought he did a good job protecting the rim when Paolo got downhill...Offensively, I just was able to find him in the roll. When I'm scoring the ball well and teams have to put two on the ball more, that leaves him open to do his thing. He played really well today." -Haliburton on Turner's big third quarter

"He's terrific. He knows this role. He did it all last year. He had a terrific game." -Carlisle on Nembhard sliding into the starting lineup

"I was just letting it come to me. The way we play is so random so you've got to kind of pick your spots and understand when is the right time to be aggressive and make a play for yourself and when is the right time to also be aggressive but kick it out to someone else." -Nembhard on his strong showing offensively

"I feel really good. I feel like that whole week I was really rehabbing hard, really getting in the weight room. So my body is fresh. I feel like I'm ready to get out there and play whatever minutes I get and just compete." -Nembhard on returning for the last two games after missing six games with a bone bruise in his knee

"Every night is a growing experience. Every night is an opportunity to learn and get better. I'm a basketball junkie so I think after games I've been having lately it's just been a lot of film study...That's been my biggest thing." -Haliburton on what he's learned from this recent stretch seeing teams focus more attention on him defensively

The Pacers outscored the Magic 33-20 in the third quarter, but were outscored 24-18 in the fourth. Indiana's 18 points in the final frame were four less than their previous low of 22, set against Chicago on Oct. 30.

After Christmas, the Pacers will tip off a two-game road trip in Houston against Jabari Smith Jr. and the Rockets on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 8:00 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>