The Indiana Pacers (30-25) defeated the Orlando Magic (24-30) 105-102 on Sunday.
A tightly-contested affair neverthless featured a fair share of mistakes from both teams, and the victorius Pacers were actually more of a guilty party. Indiana committed 21 turnovers, 12 of which came from the starting five. However, four players from the first unit also managed double-digit scoring, as did two reserves, providing the visitors with a balanced attack. The Pacers also managed a 50 percent success rate from the field overall, and played solid defense on Victor Oladipo's three-point attempt in the closing seconds to prevent the go-ahead basket. Rookie Myles Turner subsequently hauled in the key defensive rebound, and made two free throws to help seal the tough road triumph.
Monta Ellis led the way for Indiana with 21 points, which he supplemented with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Paul George was right behind him with 20 points of his own, complemented with six assists and four rebounds. Ian Mahinmi was strong down low for the second consecutive game, managing 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Turner pitched in with 12 points, eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and three blocks. C.J. Miles paced the reserves with 14 points, while Jordan Hill supplied 13 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists off the bench as well.
Indiana remains in second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division, and is currently the fifth seed in the conference. They head to South Florida to take on the Miami Heat on Monday night.
The Magic's attack was spearheaded by Evan Fournier's 23 points, to which he also added two assists, a rebound and a steal. Nikola Vucevic contributed a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Oladipo registered 17 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks. Aaron Gordon stepped up a second straight formidable effort on the glass, totaling 10 points, 11 boards, four assists and a steal. Newly acquired Brandon Jennings put together a second consecutive strong performance in pacing the reserves, contributing 12 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
Orlando remains in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division, and are currently four games behind the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls. They head to Philadelphia to face off against the Sixers on Tuesday night.
