After winning three games in four days over the weekend, the suddenly rolling Indiana Pacers (25-22) head to Orlando on Wednesday to take on the Magic (19-30). It will be the third regular season between the two teams. The Pacers won the two previous games with the Magic, both of which took place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
A major key to Indiana's recent success has been the play of All-Star forward Paul George, who just completed one of the best weeks of his career. George has scored over 30 points in four consecutive contests, shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 91.2 percent from the free throw line over that stretch.
Arguably even more impressive than his offensive exploits was George's shutdown defense on Rockets guard James Harden in Sunday's 120-101 victory over Houston. George held the MVP candidate, who entered the evening second in the league in scoring and first in assists, to 15 points on 3-of-17 shooting while forcing him into eight turnovers.
George is far from the only Pacers player playing well, however. Jeff Teague and Myles Turner each have two double-doubles over their past four games. C.J. Miles knocked down six 3-pointers in Friday's win over Sacramento. Glenn Robinson III had 14 points and six boards on Sunday against Houston. Even reserve forward Lavoy Allen, who was out of the rotation for much of the last month, has provided a notable spark off the bench as of late with his energy and defense.
In their first year under former Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, the Magic have struggled to find any sort of consistency this season. Orlando is just 4-11 so far in 2017 (they play at Minnesota on Monday before returning to Orlando to host the Pacers). As of Monday morning, Orlando has the second-worst offensive rating of any team in NBA.
On paper, this is a week where the Pacers need to take care of business. After visiting Orlando, they play at Brooklyn (owners of the worst record in the NBA) on Friday, then host a Pistons team they already beat twice on the road on Saturday. After that, 10 of their next 12 games come against teams with winning records.
Jeff Teague
Paul George
C.J. Miles
Thaddeus Young
Myles Turner
Elfrid Payton
C.J. Watson
Aaron Gordon
Serge Ibaka
Nikola Vucevic
Pacers: PG – Jeff Teague, SG – Paul George, SF – C.J. Miles, PF – Thaddeus Young, C – Myles Turner Magic: PG – Elfrid Payton, SG – C.J. Watson, SF – Aaron Gordon, PF – Serge Ibaka, C – Nikola Vucevic
Pacers: Kevin Seraphin – questionable (sore left knee), Rodney Stuckey – questionable (left hamstring strain)
Magic: Evan Fournier – questionable (sore right foot), Aaron Gordon – questionable (sore right ankle), Jodie Meeks – out (right thumb repair), C.J. Wilcox – out (left Achilles tendinitis) Last Meeting
January 1, 2017: Myles Turner registered his fifth double-double of the season as the Pacers rolled to a 117-104 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Turner finished with 23 points and 12 boards in the victory.
Paul George added 19 points, Aaron Brooks scored 14 off the bench, and Jeff Teague had 12 points and nine assists for Indiana.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jeff Green and Serge Ibaka each added 17 in the loss.
The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, Feb. 4 to host Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets » Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host) Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host) Away Game Night Special
Retro Crew Fleece – $25. Game Night Specials can be purchased online the day of each away game from 10:00 AM – Midnight. Order Online »
