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Game Preview
The Indiana Pacers (35-29) will be seeking out their first win over the Orlando Magic (37-27) this season on Sunday night.
When the Blue and Gold take on the Magic for the third and final time, it will have been roughly two and a half months since the teams last faced off. As of recently, the Pacers are working through a slump coming out of the All-Star break. Though winning their first two games back, they now have lost four of their last six games coming into Sunday night’s matchup.
Though on paper, Indiana ranks number one in the league in points (123.3 ppg) and assists (30.8 apg) to Orlando’s 110.9 points and 24.5 assists per game, two unexpected stories were written in the previous matchups between the teams when Orlando defeated Indiana in both contests at Gainbridge Fieldhouse earlier this season. The Magic make up for what they lack with their defensive strength, ranking fourth in the league with a 111.3 defensive rating.
On Thursday, the Pacers suffered a close 113-111 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Despite shooting 51.2 percent (42-of-82) from the field to Minnesota’s 46.9 percent (46-of-98), the Pacers were ultimately taken out by the best defense in the league who outscored Indiana 66-60 in the paint and outrebounded the home team 48-39.
Pascal Siakam contributed 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Tyrese Haliburton followed close behind with 23 points and 13 assists. In addition, Jalen Smith added 14 points off the bench on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting clip.
Siakam has recorded six 20-point games in the Pacers’ most recent nine matchups and has averaged 20.6 points in his 23 games in a Pacers uniform. Myles Turner has also added significant minutes for the Blue and Gold, contributing four double-doubles and averaging 17 points per game in the Pacers’ most recent eight matchups.
The Pacers will have had two days of rest entering their matchup at Orlando.
The Magic enter the matchup following an unusual 98-74 loss to the New York Knicks Friday night. As of Feb. 14, Orlando had won eight of their last nine games entering Friday night’s contest and were averaging 110 points per game, but ultimately their 34.2 percent shooting (27-of-79) sealed their fate against the Knicks.
All-Star forward Paolo Banchero still ended the contest with a near double-double, recording 23 points and nine rebounds to go along with four blocks. This season, Banchero has averaged a team-leading 22.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. When playing Indiana, the forward has averaged 29 points in the two matchups between the teams, supported by a 34-point outing in their most recent contest.
The sibling duo of starting forward Franz Wagner and reserve center Moritz Wagner has been a must-watch this season. Franz Wagner is averaging 20.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season, while his brother ranks 10th in the NBA in points off the bench averaging 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
In addition, the Magic have recently jumped to a fifth place ranking in the Eastern Conference, with Indiana holding out at eighth place.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Aaron Nesmith, F - Pascal Siakam, C - Myles Turner
Magic: G - Anthony Black, G - Gary Harris, F - Franz Wagner, F - Paolo Banchero, C - Wendell Carter Jr.
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin - out (right shoulder sprain), Doug McDermott - out (right calf strain)
Magic: Wendell Carter Jr. - questionable (sore right knee), Jett Howard - out (G League assignment)
Last Meeting
Dec. 23, 2023: Indiana fell to the Orlando Magic for the second time in a month when they were defeated, 117-110, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the most recent matchup between the two teams.
Though trailing by 14 points at haltime, 15 third-quarter points from Myles Turner got Indiana back into the game just in time for the start of the fourth frame. The Pacers got close to overtaking the Magic when they tied the game with 10:27 remaining, but Orlando followed up with seven unanswered points to widen the gap again. The Magic held the lead for the remainder of the matchup.
Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 20th double-double of the season as he ended the night with 29 points and 15 assists. Turner followed behind with 24 points and seven rebounds, Buddy Hield notched 20 points and Andrew Nembhard added 17 points.
Indiana went 15-of-34 (44.1 percent) from 3-point range while the Magic made only six 3-pointers on 18 attempts (33.3 percent). The Magic found significant help from the charity stripe as they shot 33-of-41, while the Pacers went 9-of-13.
The Magic were led by Paolo Banchero’s 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor. Franz Wagner followed behind with 24 points and six rebounds, while Fishers native Gary Harris recorded 15 points.
Noteworthy
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tip off a three-game homestand against DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>
Game Preview
The Indiana Pacers (35-29) will be seeking out their first win over the Orlando Magic (37-27) this season on Sunday night.
When the Blue and Gold take on the Magic for the third and final time, it will have been roughly two and a half months since the teams last faced off. As of recently, the Pacers are working through a slump coming out of the All-Star break. Though winning their first two games back, they now have lost four of their last six games coming into Sunday night’s matchup.
Though on paper, Indiana ranks number one in the league in points (123.3 ppg) and assists (30.8 apg) to Orlando’s 110.9 points and 24.5 assists per game, two unexpected stories were written in the previous matchups between the teams when Orlando defeated Indiana in both contests at Gainbridge Fieldhouse earlier this season. The Magic make up for what they lack with their defensive strength, ranking fourth in the league with a 111.3 defensive rating.
On Thursday, the Pacers suffered a close 113-111 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Despite shooting 51.2 percent (42-of-82) from the field to Minnesota’s 46.9 percent (46-of-98), the Pacers were ultimately taken out by the best defense in the league who outscored Indiana 66-60 in the paint and outrebounded the home team 48-39.
Pascal Siakam contributed 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Tyrese Haliburton followed close behind with 23 points and 13 assists. In addition, Jalen Smith added 14 points off the bench on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting clip.
Siakam has recorded six 20-point games in the Pacers’ most recent nine matchups and has averaged 20.6 points in his 23 games in a Pacers uniform. Myles Turner has also added significant minutes for the Blue and Gold, contributing four double-doubles and averaging 17 points per game in the Pacers’ most recent eight matchups.
The Pacers will have had two days of rest entering their matchup at Orlando.
The Magic enter the matchup following an unusual 98-74 loss to the New York Knicks Friday night. As of Feb. 14, Orlando had won eight of their last nine games entering Friday night’s contest and were averaging 110 points per game, but ultimately their 34.2 percent shooting (27-of-79) sealed their fate against the Knicks.
All-Star forward Paolo Banchero still ended the contest with a near double-double, recording 23 points and nine rebounds to go along with four blocks. This season, Banchero has averaged a team-leading 22.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. When playing Indiana, the forward has averaged 29 points in the two matchups between the teams, supported by a 34-point outing in their most recent contest.
The sibling duo of starting forward Franz Wagner and reserve center Moritz Wagner has been a must-watch this season. Franz Wagner is averaging 20.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season, while his brother ranks 10th in the NBA in points off the bench averaging 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
In addition, the Magic have recently jumped to a fifth place ranking in the Eastern Conference, with Indiana holding out at eighth place.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Aaron Nesmith, F - Pascal Siakam, C - Myles Turner
Magic: G - Anthony Black, G - Gary Harris, F - Franz Wagner, F - Paolo Banchero, C - Wendell Carter Jr.
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin - out (right shoulder sprain), Doug McDermott - out (right calf strain)
Magic: Wendell Carter Jr. - questionable (sore right knee), Jett Howard - out (G League assignment)
Last Meeting
Dec. 23, 2023: Indiana fell to the Orlando Magic for the second time in a month when they were defeated, 117-110, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the most recent matchup between the two teams.
Though trailing by 14 points at haltime, 15 third-quarter points from Myles Turner got Indiana back into the game just in time for the start of the fourth frame. The Pacers got close to overtaking the Magic when they tied the game with 10:27 remaining, but Orlando followed up with seven unanswered points to widen the gap again. The Magic held the lead for the remainder of the matchup.
Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 20th double-double of the season as he ended the night with 29 points and 15 assists. Turner followed behind with 24 points and seven rebounds, Buddy Hield notched 20 points and Andrew Nembhard added 17 points.
Indiana went 15-of-34 (44.1 percent) from 3-point range while the Magic made only six 3-pointers on 18 attempts (33.3 percent). The Magic found significant help from the charity stripe as they shot 33-of-41, while the Pacers went 9-of-13.
The Magic were led by Paolo Banchero’s 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor. Franz Wagner followed behind with 24 points and six rebounds, while Fishers native Gary Harris recorded 15 points.
Noteworthy
- This is the third and final matchup between the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers this season.
- Pacers forward Doug McDermott has missed five straight games due to a right calf strain.
- Magic center Goga Bitadze was selected by the Pacers as the 18th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and played 170 games in Indiana from 2019-23.
- Orlando guard Gary Harris graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tip off a three-game homestand against DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>
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