Facing the Pacers without guards Jalen Suggs (right thigh contusion) and Markelle Fultz (left knee strain), the Magic blew a double-digit lead and lost just their ninth home game of the season on Sunday.
Orlando, which already had beaten Indiana twice this season, dropped its second game in a row to an Eastern Conference opponent after falling to the Knicks on Friday.
Jamahl Mosley’s squad was outscored 39-21 in the third quarter as the Pacers (36-29) gained control of the game after a slow start when both teams shot below 40% in the opening frame.
Front-courters Paolo Banchero (19 points), Franz Wagner (13) and Wendell Carter Jr. shot a combined 1-of-16 from 3-point range while five Pacers made at least one triple.
The Magic (37-28) remain at Kia Center when they host the Nets (26-39) on Wednesday (Bally Sports Florida, 7).
Tale Of Two Halves
The Magic never trailed in the first half, shot nearly 42% from the field and limited Indiana to 1-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
After the break, Orlando’s lead evaporated as the team shot 33.3% from the field and let the Pacers go 7-of-12 from distance.
The Pacers outscored the Magic 64-47 in the second half and led by as many as 16 points while outrebounding Orlando 25-16.
Fastbreak Breakdown
The reason Indiana dominated after halftime was largely due to the Pacers’ fastbreak scoring.
Entering the game as one of the best teams in the NBA to score in transition (averaging fourth-most 16.2 fastbreak points), the Pacers scored 21 fastbreak points in the second half. They scored 6 fastbreak points in the opening two quarters.
Orlando was caught a step behind while missing long-range shots (4 of 20 from 3 in second half), and that led to the Pacers leaking out to score in transition.
Indiana pushes the pace better than the large majority of the league (second-most 102.48 possessions per 48 minutes) and the Magic failed to keep up.
Multiple Opportunities
Orlando grabbed 13 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points.
Four of those boards on the offensive glass came within the opening six minutes of the game, including three from Carter.
He totaled a season-high 15 rebounds to go with 13 points, marking his sixth double-double of the season. In total, 6 of his 15 boards came on offense.
Ingles’ And Isaac’s Impact
Veteran forward Joe Ingles (11 points) initiated the offense at times for Orlando’s second unit and sank his first pair of triples to help spread the floor.
He and forward Jonathan Isaac (9 points) each went 3 of 4 from beyond the arc in the loss and accounted for two-thirds of the team’s 3-pointers.
Orlando, however, went 9 of 36 from distance for 25% shooting. The Magic fell to 5-17 when attempting 35 or more 3-point shots.
Let’s Get Technical
Four total technical fouls were handed out throughout the night — two each team. First, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was hit with a tech late in the opening quarter after disagreeing with an official.
In the second quarter, guard Gary Harris and Carter each was given techs less than 10 seconds apart for arguing separate calls.
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton — who scored 20 points to match teammate Pascal Siakam at forward — was assessed the final technical foul of the game for the same reason late in the fourth quarter.
Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
