Magic drop 5th in a row as Pacers end 16-game losing streak
· Yahoo Sports
ORLANDO, Fla. — With less than a month remaining in the NBA regular season, it’s not uncommon for team’s fighting for playoff positioning to face off against teams battling instead for a better draft spot.
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Such was the case Monday night at Kia Center when the Orlando Magic hosted the Indiana Pacers, a team that had lost more games in the past month (16 in a row since the All-Star break) than it had won the entire year (15 total entering the contest).
But Orlando, on its own four-game losing streak, had no room for error facing Indiana on the first night of a back-to-back.
Jamahl Mosley‘s squad, however, lacked precision and energy throughout much of the night on both ends of the floor and its comeback fell short in the end when the Pacers escaped Central Florida on top, 128-126.
After the Magic trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, Paolo Banchero’s pair of free throws with 28.9 seconds left brought Orlando within two points of the Pacers. Orlando then won a jump ball with 6.4 seconds left and called timeout.
Banchero, who scored 39 points, however, missed a layup out of a timeout on the final play of the game. The Pacers were led by two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam, who finished with 37 points.
Earning its first win since Feb. 11, Indiana (16-56) scored 44 points in the third quarter to lead by eight points entering the fourth.
Dropping their last five, the Magic (38-33) travel to Cleveland for the second game of a back-to-back Tuesday night on NBC.
Starting 5
Veteran guard Jevon Carter got the nod to start in place of Jalen Suggs, who was ruled out earlier in the day due to an illness.
Making his first start in a Magic uniform since he joined the time last month, Carter opened alongside Banchero, Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva and Wendell Carter Jr. to generate the team’s 14th different starting lineup of the season.
Carter found himself in foul trouble early picking up two fouls in the opening eight minutes and Orlando overall got off to a slow start.
The Magic as a whole shot 4 for 18 from the floor to start the game, including 1 for 10 from 3-point range, when Indiana took a 10-point lead after one quarter.
Banchero, who started 1 for 6 in the first frame, pieced together a 17-point second quarter to have 22 by the break. He and da Silva, who scored nine in the second quarter, helped Orlando get back on track when it outscored the Pacers 40-25 in the frame to take a five-point lead into the half.
While those two had success early, Bane did not. The Magic guard earned his third foul three minutes into the second quarter when he shot 1 for 7 for just three first-half points.
Banchero, however, was responsible for five of the team’s 11 turnovers. Da Silva ended with 21 points.
Bane eventually found some success attacking the basket in the third quarter, a frame that saw him score 11 of his 17 total points. The Magic guard, however, ended 1 for 5 from distance.
Turnovers and takeaways
The Magic were inconsistent throughout the night with how they executed on offense. That allowed Indiana, entered with the eighth-fastest pace in the league (101.61), to force turnovers and control the tempo of the game at times.
Indiana opened the second half on a 15-5 run by three turnovers in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
For the night, the Pacers notched 20 points off 11 takeaways. They also outscored the Magic 26-14 in the fastbreak.
And on the other end, Orlando failed to impose its will on defense, only scoring seven points off nine takeaways.
Difference from distance
The Pacers made four 3-pointer in the entire first half. They turned the corner quickly from distance after the break.
In the third quarter alone, Indiana made nine triples to finish 16 for 35 (45.7%) from beyond the arc.
Orlando didn’t necessarily have a poor showing from long range when it shot 12 for 34 (35%) but it failed to defend at a high level on the perimeter when nine different Pacers made at least one 3-pointer and five others made at least two.
Rookie watch
Despite only playing a total of 13 minutes across the last 10 games for Orlando, first-round pick Jase Richardson was called upon early with the Magic shorthanded in the backcourt.
After playing 32 minutes on G League assignment with Osceola last Friday, Richardson saw 19 minutes of action for Orlando against Indiana. Converting his first three shots from the floor, Richardson flew in for an offensive rebound for a putback early in the second quarter and didn’t wait much longer to knock down a triple.
Richardson ended with nine points and three assists.
Second-round pick Noah Penda also saw early action but was held scoreless in eight minutes.