Game Rewind: Pacers 122, Magic 114 (OT)

It felt like déjà vu for the Pacers for much of Wednesday night in Orlando.

After being outscored 35-19 in the third quarter in a loss to the Magic on Monday, the Pacers once again struggled after halftime. Orlando outpaced Indiana 29-18 in the third quarter on Wednesday.

But this time around, the Pacers fought back. Indiana rallied from an 18-point deficit to take a lead late in the fourth quarter. Some late-game miscues allowed the Magic to force overtime, but the Pacers (22-42) made the plays needed in the extra session to come away with a 122-114 victory.

It certainly helped that the Pacers had Malcolm Brogdon this time around. The sixth-year guard sat out Monday's game on the second night of a back-to-back as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury, but he was back on the court Wednesday and a key catalyst in Indiana's comeback.

Brogdon tallied 31 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in 41 minutes to help Indiana split a two-game set with Orlando (15-48).

"Best player on the floor tonight," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's our old pro. He's the best all-around player on our team and when he plays it's a different ball game out there."

Tyrese Haliburton (21 points and six assists) and Buddy Hield (17 points, five boards, three assists, and two steals) also played key roles down the stretch.

The Pacers trailed 91-76 entering the fourth quarter, but mounted a charge in the final frame. Hield buried a 3-pointer, Duane Washington Jr. converted a three-point play, and then Brogdon — playing into the fourth quarter for the first time since returning from injury — knocked down a trey during a 9-0 run in less than 70 seconds to bring Indiana back within six with 8:19 to play.

"Tonight was a night to test it," he said of building up strength in his Achilles. "We'd been sitting out the fourth quarter of the last couple games, so tonight was the night to push it and see how it responded. And so far it's responded really well."

Terrence Ross answered with a three for Orlando, but the Blue & Gold continued their run. Back-to-back baskets by Brogdon and Hield forced an Orlando timeout. After the break, Hield's 3-pointer made it a 97-95 game with 6:53 remaining.

Brogdon came up with a steal on the other end and the Pacers had three looks to tie or take the lead, but couldn't convert. Franz Wagner scored on the other end, but Brogdon came right back down and drilled a three to make it a one-point game. After the Pacers forced a stop, Brogdon drove left to the baseline, then kicked out to Haliburton on the right wing.

The 22-year-old knocked down the three just as the clock ticked under five minutes, giving the visitors their first lead since it was 2-0 at the start of the night.

The Magic tied the game twice over the next couple minutes and moved back in front at 106-104 on Wagner's jumper with 2:20 remaining. Brogdon drew a foul on Mo Bamba at the rim on the other end and hit both free throws to knot the score once again.

After Wagner missed a hook shot, Hield dished to Haliburton on the left wing and the second-year guard once again delivered, knocking down another go-ahead triple.

Magic rookie Jalen Suggs got to the rim and scored on the other end to cut Indiana's lead to one. Brogdon then missed a layup, opening the door for Orlando, but the Pacers locked down with stout defense, forcing Magic guard Cole Anthony into a desperate heave that resulted in a shot clock violation with 26.7 seconds left.

The Magic elected to foul Brogdon, who hit the first but missed the second with 16.6 seconds left. Orlando pushed the break, with Anthony getting to the rim. He missed, but Bamba was there for the tying putback with 5.8 seconds remaining.

Brogdon raced back the other way and nearly won the game with a reverse layup, but it bounced up off the rim and out as the buzzer sounded, sending the game to overtime.

Both teams managed just one basket over the first three minutes of the extra session. The Pacers surged ahead with 1:52 left in overtime, after Haliburton drove and kicked to Hield for three.

On Indiana's next possession, Brogdon missed a stepback jumper, but Oshae Brissett corralled the offensive rebound, then kicked out to Haliburton for another trey to extend Indiana's lead to 118-102 with 1:05 left. Orlando never got back within one possession the rest of the way.

Second-year big man Jalen Smith tallied a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for Indiana in the win. Rookie center Isaiah Jackson went 8-for-8 from the field and amassed 16 points and seven boards in 23 minutes before fouling out.

Bamba got the Magic off to a fast start. The fourth-year center connected on his first four shots, including two 3-pointers as well as an old-fashioned three-point play, tallying 11 points as Orlando jumped out to an 18-8 lead.

The Pacers clawed back, trimming the deficit to 24-20 with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter. But the Magic outscored Indiana 7-2 in the final minute of the frame to take a 31-22 lead into the second quarter.

The Magic used a 7-0 run early in the ensuing quarter to stretch their lead to 43-30, but the Blue & Gold fought back once again. Back-to-back dunks by Jackson and Hield made it a 51-47 game with 3:18 to play in the first half. After Bamba scored on the other end, Hield knocked down a three to make it a three-point game.

Indiana got within two a short while later following a layup by Brogdon, but that would be the closest they would get in the half. Orlando took a 62-58 lead into halftime.

The hosts broke the game open shortly after the intermission. Rookie of the Year candidate Wagner scored 10 points — including a pair of 3-pointers — as the Magic opened the second half with a 14-4 run.

Orlando led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and dominated the frame, outscoring Indiana by 11 to take a 91-76 lead into the fourth, but the Pacers turned things around from there.

"We started moving it better," Carlisle said. "Our unselfishness on offense energized our defense and we were able to make a run. Almost had the thing won in regulation, then obviously a great job in overtime closing it out."

Wagner led six Magic players in double figures with 28 points, going 10-for-18 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Bamba (19 points and 12 rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (13 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists) both recorded double-doubles for Orlando in the loss.

The Pacers will wrap up a four-game road trip this weekend, playing in Detroit on Friday and Washington on Sunday.

Brogdon's 31 points were a new season high, surpassing the 30 he scored in a win in Utah on Nov. 11.

Smith recorded his third double-double in eight games since being traded to Indiana and set a new career high with 15 rebounds.

The Pacers committed 17 turnovers over the first three quarters, but had just one total giveaway between the fourth quarter and overtime.

Haliburton started the night 0-for-5 from 3-point range, but went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and overtime, with all three of his makes giving Indiana the lead.

"Malcolm's a bucket. He's the leader of our team. So whenever we're in situations like that we always look to him to do his thing." -Smith on Brogdon's play down the stretch

"We were able to defend, play with urgency, and continue to play the right way. I feel like we've had streaks of really good basketball but haven't really put it together other than the Boston game as of late. Tonight was another game where we didn't really put it together, but we put it together at the right time." -Brogdon on the keys to the comeback

"It was all Buddy. Coming into the huddle, he kept telling us to not lose our energy. And then when the guys got back on the court, he was like, 'If we get it down to a certain number of points, we can win this game.' Everybody stuck to that. We just all dug down deep." -Smith on Hield building confidence ahead of the comeback

"Tyrese Haliburton was having a struggling game all night long. Came back into the fourth and banged in two big threes, then banged one in in overtime. They were enormous, enormous plays." -Carlisle on Haliburton's shotmaking

"He's playing well. This is a great opportunity for him. He's playing two positions, he's doing a lot of great things on both ends of the floor. He's come out of his shell as a player on this team. He's showing some real emotion and some real grit out there." -Carlisle on Smith's strong play

Brogdon (16 points), Haliburton (12), and Hield (11) combined for 39 of Indiana's 46 points over the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Pacers head to Detroit to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons on Friday, March 4 at 7:00 PM ET.

After a four-game road trip, the Pacers return home to host Caris LeVert and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »