The Orlando Magic fell behind the Indiana Pacers as their offense went lifeless in the fourth quarter, suffering their first double-digit loss of the season
The Orlando Magic’s good fortune and chance to win would eventually run out. There would be no late-game drama in Indianapolis — the first double-digit game of the Magic’s short season.
Orlando took an 81-78 lead early in the fourth quarter and then went absolutely cold.
The Magic scored just three points in the final seven and a half minutes as the Pacers began to build up an offense that itself was anemic throughout the game. Orlando’s defense kept the clamps on as much as they can.
But without an offense to speak of, the Pacers ran away with a 97-84 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday.
The game was a slog throughout for the Magic with the two teams often exchanging the lead and runs. The game came down to which team could make the last push and put pressure on the other.
Orlando struggled throughout the game to get that last little push. The Magic just seemed a bit off on the offensive end, always a step behind on passes. The offense did not flow and the game was not crisp at all.
The Magic committed eight of their 22 turnovers in the fourth quarter. So as the shots stopped falling, the Magic struggled to get the offense moving. They began forcing their way into the paint and trying to create offense when there was not any.
Scott Skiles characterized some of his team’s play as selfish. The Magic were not moving the ball as they do when they are successful, with a season-low 16 assists.
Evan Fournier again had a solid game with 21 points. Victor Oladipo scored 15 points on 7-for-18 shooting. He struggled specifically with finishing at the rim again.
Paul George led the Pacers, scoring 19 of his 27 points in the first quarter.
After struggling through the first quarter, the Magic did a good job corralling him and cutting off his driving lanes, turning him into a distributor more than a scorer (seven assists, but he shot just 7 for 17 for the game).
But the step behind the Magic started with on Paul George became the step behind later in the game. Orlando lost Indiana on a few key plays, and Indiana made Orlando pay in the end.
