INDIANAPOLIS Feb 3 (US): Gary Harris scored 22 points and Wendell Carter Jr. scored 19 points and 18 rebounds to rally the Orlando Magic over the Indiana Pacers 119-118 on Wednesday night.
Harris scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including two major three-pointers. He finished 6 of 11 from outside the arc and thought his team played with more energy in the second half.
“We are able to lock in on the defensive end, share the ball, make shots, and win in the second half,” Harris said. “I feel like this is the team that we are. We are resilient. We are always struggling. These guys are hungry and love to play basketball and compete every day. It is a fun group to play with.”
Harris said Carter played like a monster.
“When Wendell is aggressive, there aren’t a lot of people in the league who can stop him,” Harris said. “We need that from him every night.”
Indiana led by 17 midway through third, but the margin narrowed to two by the end of the quarter. Orlando outperformed the Pacers 33-21 in this period.
“The third quarter was the killer,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “We did a lot of other good things during the course of the match. The third quarter was our dip.”
Karis Levert led the Pacers with 26 points, and rookie Terry Taylor scored the first double in his career with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Tori Craig added 22 points, according to the Associated Press.
Harris hit 3 seconds in a row to tie it at 108 with 1:50 left. Cole Anthony then stole the ball and made two free throws to give the Magic their first lead.
Franz Wagner’s three-point play put Orlando ahead forever at 113-110. Wagner finished 17 points.
With the Pacers trailing by four, Justin Holiday hit the No. 3 at the bell.
“They kept getting to the edge,” Carlisle said. “They were aggressive and made it deteriorate.”
Indiana led 81-64 halfway through third before the Magic scored eight straight points to make it 86-80. They tied it up in 88 early in the fourth.
“I’m so proud of these guys, they’ve played three games in four nights in a row – they’ve shown their resilience,” Orlando coach Jamal Mosley said. “Everyone was a part of it. We continued to compete at a high level until the end of the match.”
Indiana sank 10 of 19 first-half three-pointers to lead 67-53 in the first inning. The Pacers shot 54.2% in the first half while the Magic hit 44.9% from the field.
Taylor’s contributions were needed as Pacers’ rookie forward Isiah Jackson left the match in the first 30 seconds with a sprained right ankle. He went straight to the locker room and couldn’t come back.
This was Taylor’s sixth game, playing most of the season in the J-League. Carlisle said Jackson was limping after the game but didn’t need walking shoes.
Hint
Magic: Harris, a native of Fisher, Indianapolis, scored 20 points for the first time since he scored 28 on Jan. 8 against Detroit. “It is always good to come home and make money in front of family and friends,” he said. …Anthony’s shooting problems persisted as he only fired 2 of 15. He only shoots 35% over his last 10 matches.
Pacers: Domantas Sabonis missed their second game in a row due to health and safety protocols. Sabonis is also expected to miss Friday’s game against Chicago. Oshi Brisset (painful in the right ankle) and Goga Petzad (painful in the right foot) were also sidelined.
next one
Magic: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
The Pacers hosted the Chicago Bulls at the conclusion of a three-game game on the field Friday night.