Game Recap
The Pacers turned in an uneven performance on Friday night in Orlando. They outscored the Magic by double digits in both the first and third quarters, but struggled in the second and fourth, ultimately falling in their penultimate preseason contest, 114-106.
Indiana dominated early, forcing the Magic into 10 turnovers and jumping out to an early 30-19 advantage. But the hosts responded in the second quarter, scorching the nets for 44 points in the period to take a 63-53 lead into halftime.
The Magic's second unit got off to a sizzling start in the second quarter, knocking down four 3-pointers as Orlando outscored Indiana 23-5 over the first 4:42 of the period. Former Pacers Damjan Rudež and C.J. Watson both buried triples during that sequence, while Jeff Green added a pair of treys.
The Magic never really cooled off for the rest of the half, stretching their lead to as many as 14 points before halftime.
The Pacers, however, fought back with a strong third-quarter performance. Glenn Robinson III and Myles Turner each scored four points during a 12-0 run by the Blue & Gold that enabled them to retake the lead with 1:46 remaining in the period. All told, Indiana outscored Orlando 34-21 in the third to take a three-point lead into the fourth.
The two teams traded the lead a few times in the early part of the fourth quarter. Al Jefferson's three-point play gave Indiana a 97-95 lead with 7:18 remaining, but the Magic promptly reeled off an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to seize control of the contest and held on for their first preseason win in four tries. The Pacers fell to 3-2 in the preseason with the loss.
Despite the loss, the Pacers' starting five — playing together for the first time all preseason — looked solid, with all five starters logging over 30 minutes and finishing in double figures.
Second-year center Myles Turner led Indiana with 17 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. All-Star forward Paul George, playing for the first time in over a week after dealing with strep throat, had 16 points and four steals.
Point guard Jeff Teague chipped in 16 points and four assists, while power forward Thaddeus Young stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Monta Ellis rounded out the starting unit with 14 points and six assists.
Serge Ibaka, the Magic's prize offseason acquisition, was dominant for his new team. The veteran forward led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, five of them on the offensive glass. Ibaka was efficient offensively, going 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
Green added 16 points off the bench, while both Rudež and Watson had strong showings agains their former team. Rudež went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc en route to 11 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Watson, meanwhile, scored eight points and dished out a game-high 10 assists.
The Pacers now have five days off before traveling to Milwaukee for their preseason finale on Wednesday, Oct. 19. They open the 2016-17 regular season a week later, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Oct. 26.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers forced Orlando into 25 turnovers on the night, while only committing 13 themselves.
The Magic, however, won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Indiana 51-38 overall and 12-9 on the offensive glass.
Orlando was also +15 from beyond the arc, hitting 12-of-24 3-point attempts. The Pacers were 7-for-16 from long range.
Every Pacers starter finished with a positive plus-minus and Indiana was at least 10 points better with Ellis (+18), Turner (+13), and Teague (+10).
On the other hand, all six Pacers reserves who saw the floor on Friday finished with a negative plus-minus. Joe Young was -24, Jefferson -21, and Rodney Stuckey -20.
You Can Quote Me On That
"I thought we had a decent first quarter. Our bench came in and they just really got aggressive and poured it on us in that second quarter, 44 points. Second quarter, that's a big quarter. They kind of got that energy and the momentum and kept it. We kind of played from behind after that." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan
"We played with low effort and low energy. We know this is preseason but our season starts 12 days from now. That is not something that should be popping up late in preseason." -George
"It is our first time playing together so I feel we are still trying to establish that trust and still trying to establish that chemistry. I think we are going to be fine. We are a very talented group." -Turner
"Our job is to come in, bring energy, try to change the game in any way that we can, and give the starters a break. I think that tonight we did a great job and it started on the defensive end." -Green on Orlando's bench
Stat of the Night
The Pacers outscored Orlando 64-40 in the first and third quarters, but were outscored 74-42 in the second and fourth periods.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers were without two key members of their second unit. Swingman C.J. Miles missed his third straight contest with a sore left knee and point guard Aaron Brooks sat out with a sore right knee.
- Though it was just preseason, Friday's contest was the first meeting between the Pacers and former head coach Frank Vogel, now the coach of the Magic. Vogel will return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time on Nov. 14.
- With the regular season approaching, McMillan shortened his rotation. Rookie Georges Niang played just three minutes. Rakeem Christmas, Jeremy Evans, and Kevin Seraphin did not play.
Broadcast Information
TV: None
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
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