Game review: Magic (27-15) 109, Pacers (14-28) 98
The Magic began the second half of the season on a successful note, as they led from start to finish and led by as many as 29 points in the second quarter. The Magic faltered in the second half, letting the Pacers get as close as 8 points midway through the fourth quarter before the final margin. Dwight Howard set a season-high with 32 points, tied a career-high in free throw attempts with 24, and made his second-most free throws in a game with 16. Matt Barnes set a career-high with 16 rebounds.
The Magic got off to a blistering start as they scored 40 first quarter points to lead after one quarter 40-20. The Magic led by as much as 59-30 in the second quarter before settling for a comfortable 68-46 halftime lead on 60% shooting, including 9 of 13 on threes. The Magic led by as much as 92-65 late in the third quarter, and settled for a seemingly safe 94-74 lead after three. The Pacers put a scare into the Magic in the fourth, as they outscored them 14-2 to begin the quarter to pull within 96-88 midway through, but did not get any closer.
Magic leading scorers
Dwight Howard: 32 points (8 of 13 FGs, 16 of 24 FTs), 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 6 turnovers
Rashard Lewis: 18 points (7 of 16 FGs), 7 rebounds
Jason Williams (bench): 14 points (6 of 11 FGs), 9 assists
Matt Barnes: 10 points (4 of 6 FGs), 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: ORL 49.3% (37 of 75) IND 44.7% (34 of 76)
3 PT FG%: ORL 38.5% (10 of 26) IND 25% (6 of 24)
FT%: IND 72.7% (24 of 33) ORL 67.6% (25 of 37)
REB: ORL 50 (12 offensive) IND 35 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 25/21 IND 13/19
BENCH: IND 38 ORL 36
Other game notes and stats:
-Five Pacers scored in double figures, led by Danny Granger with 25 points; Troy Murphy had a double/double of 17 points, 10 rebounds; Dahntay Jones scored 17 points off the Pacers' bench
-Pacers' center Roy Hibbert, who scored 26 points the last time the two teams played, was held to 3 points on 3 free throws
-The Magic shot just 1 of 13 on threes in the second half after making 9 of 13 in the first half
-In a 7:40 span of the third and fourth quarter, the Pacers outscored the Magic 23-4
-The Magic's Vince Carter continues to struggle shooting-wise, as he made just 2 of 8 FGs for 6 points in 25 minutes, but he did have 5 assists
-Carter and Jameer Nelson combined to score just 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting
-The Magic bench combined for 36 points on just 24 shots along with 13 assists and 12 rebounds
-The Magic starting frontline outrebounded the Pacers' starting frontline 34-19
-All 11 players who played for the Magic scored; only Anthony Johnson did not play
-The Magic remain 1/2 game behind Atlanta in the SE
Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:48 PM
2 Comments:
At 5:01 AM,
Mike from Illinois said…
It figures that the Magic would let the Pacers back in the game after the Magic had a 27 point lead late in the third quarter, but a win is a win, and there were several positives in this game:
Another strong offensive effort from Dwight Howard; Matt Barnes' continued strong play as a starter; a good second half from Rashard Lewis; 5 assists from Vince Carter, who took just 8 shots in 25 minutes, great three point shooting in the first half (9 of 13); and an excellent game from the bench as a whole.
The negatives:
The Magic couldn't put the Pacers away in the fourth quarter until the final few minutes; way too many turnovers with 21; poor second-half three point shooting (1 of 13); a foul-plagued, ineffective game from Jameer Nelson; and Carter's continued struggles shooting (2 of 8).
The Magic seem to have a lapse almost every game where they will go 8, 9, or 10 minutes where they will be badly outscored by the opposing team. The Magic have got to limit these outbursts by opposing teams.
Thank goodness the Magic played well enough to build up a 27 point lead where they could withstand a 23-4 Indiana run.
At 1:04 PM,
Big Figure said…
I was pleased with the magic's energy and effort for most of the game. I thought they finally started to figure things out on the court offensively,and it showed by dwight getting 32 points. They ran the fast break very well and at the same time moved the ball which lead to lay-ups and dunks,instead of just settling for jumpers. The bench was very good also and hopefully can keep it going.
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