Game review: Magic (18-6) 106, Pacers (8-14) 98
Playing their first home game after a four game road trip, the Magic came out horribly flat and dug themselves a deep hole to get out of, falling behind by as much as 17 points to Indiana early in the second quarter. Thanks to a strong effort from Vince Carter, who led the Magic in scoring despite playing with a stomach ailment; thanks to a strong effort from the Magic bench who brought the Magic back in the game in the second quarter, and thanks to a 21 point, 22 rebound effort from Dwight Howard, the Magic fought back for the win.
After the Magic scored the first 2 points of the game, the Pacers went on a 21-4 tear, and led the Magic after one 30-17, as the Magic shot an icy 6 of 23. Other than Carter, the Magic shot 1 of 13 in the first quarter. Stan Van Gundy let the reserves play much of the second quarter, and they brought the Magic back in the game thanks to a 17-0 run that gave the Magic a 47-44 lead. The Pacers led 54-53 at the half. The Pacers led the majority of the third quarter, leading by as much as 6 points, but the Magic cut their deficit to 81-79 at the end of three. The lead went back and forth for much of the final quarter, with the Pacers having their last lead at 96-94 with just under 5 minutes left, before the Magic went on a 12-0 run to finally put away the stubborn Pacers.
Magic leading scorers
Vince Carter: 28 points (10 of 21 FGs), 7 rebounds
Dwight Howard 21 points (4 of 10 FGs, 13 of 22 FTs), 23 rebounds, 4 blocks
Anthony Johnson (bench): 13 points (6 of 11 FGs), 7 assists
J.J. Redick (bench): 13 points (3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: IND 47.7% (42 of 88) ORL 41.9% (36 of 86)
3 PT FG%: IND 31.8% (7 of 22) ORL 31.0% (9 of 29)
FT%: ORL 71.4% (25 of 35) IND 70% (7 of 10)
REB: ORL 48 (11 offensive) IND 45 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: IND 26/10 ORL 18/7
BENCH: ORL 41 IND 32
Other game notes and stats:
-The Pacers outscored the Magic 91-81 from the field, but the Magic outscored the Pacers 25-7 from the free throw line
-The Pacers, missing top player Danny Granger, had 3 players in double figures, led by Mike Dunleavy with 26 points
-The Pacers missed their last 9 field goals of the game
-Magic starting point guard Jason Williams went scoreless with 1 assist
-Carter and Howard were the only Magic starters to score in the first half
-Other than Carter, the Magic starters combined to shoot 11 of 33 from the field
-Carter and Redick combined to shoot 5 for 8 on threes, while the rest of the Magic combined to go 4 for 21
-The Pacers were called for 28 fouls, the Magic 15 fouls
-Howard was called for a technical foul after a hard foul by the Pacers' Troy Murphy in the third quarter
-The Magic now lead Atlanta by 1/2 game in the SE, and remain 2 games behind Boston for the top seed in the East
Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.
After the Magic scored the first 2 points of the game, the Pacers went on a 21-4 tear, and led the Magic after one 30-17, as the Magic shot an icy 6 of 23. Other than Carter, the Magic shot 1 of 13 in the first quarter. Stan Van Gundy let the reserves play much of the second quarter, and they brought the Magic back in the game thanks to a 17-0 run that gave the Magic a 47-44 lead. The Pacers led 54-53 at the half. The Pacers led the majority of the third quarter, leading by as much as 6 points, but the Magic cut their deficit to 81-79 at the end of three. The lead went back and forth for much of the final quarter, with the Pacers having their last lead at 96-94 with just under 5 minutes left, before the Magic went on a 12-0 run to finally put away the stubborn Pacers.
Magic leading scorers
Vince Carter: 28 points (10 of 21 FGs), 7 rebounds
Dwight Howard 21 points (4 of 10 FGs, 13 of 22 FTs), 23 rebounds, 4 blocks
Anthony Johnson (bench): 13 points (6 of 11 FGs), 7 assists
J.J. Redick (bench): 13 points (3 of 4 3 PT FGs), 5 assists
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: IND 47.7% (42 of 88) ORL 41.9% (36 of 86)
3 PT FG%: IND 31.8% (7 of 22) ORL 31.0% (9 of 29)
FT%: ORL 71.4% (25 of 35) IND 70% (7 of 10)
REB: ORL 48 (11 offensive) IND 45 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: IND 26/10 ORL 18/7
BENCH: ORL 41 IND 32
Other game notes and stats:
-The Pacers outscored the Magic 91-81 from the field, but the Magic outscored the Pacers 25-7 from the free throw line
-The Pacers, missing top player Danny Granger, had 3 players in double figures, led by Mike Dunleavy with 26 points
-The Pacers missed their last 9 field goals of the game
-Magic starting point guard Jason Williams went scoreless with 1 assist
-Carter and Howard were the only Magic starters to score in the first half
-Other than Carter, the Magic starters combined to shoot 11 of 33 from the field
-Carter and Redick combined to shoot 5 for 8 on threes, while the rest of the Magic combined to go 4 for 21
-The Pacers were called for 28 fouls, the Magic 15 fouls
-Howard was called for a technical foul after a hard foul by the Pacers' Troy Murphy in the third quarter
-The Magic now lead Atlanta by 1/2 game in the SE, and remain 2 games behind Boston for the top seed in the East
Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 1:48 AM
1 Comments:
At 2:05 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
Wow, the Pacers really threw a scare into the Magic, but the Magic were able to overcome them for the win.
Not the double digit victory we were hoping for, but hey, a win is a win, and this shows the strength of the Magic depth, as they came out and got the Magic back in the game quickly in the second quarter, after the starters, with the exception of Carter, stunk it up in the opening quarter.
Looks like Jason Williams has really hit a wall here the last week after a string of outstanding games. Thank goodness Anthony Johnson has played so well in reserve the last few games.
J.J. Redick had another solid game off the bench.
What an effort from Vince Carter, who prevented the Magic from being completely blown out in the first quarter, and he was playing with a stomach ailment.
After a bad first quarter, D12 really came on strong. I guess the opposition has decided they are going to do everything they can to foul Dwight and make him shoot FTs instead of attempting a field goal... 39 free throw attempts the last 2 games!
Good second half defense by the Magic, holding the Pacers to just 44 points.
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