The Pacers had to celebrate breaking their losing streak on a plane to Orlando ahead of their Wednesday night tilt against the Magic.
The Indiana Pacers (24-25) had little time to celebrate their exciting 24th win on Tuesday before they were on a plane to Central Florida where they will face the Orlando Magic (18-29) for the second game of a back-to-back.
The Pacers gutted out a win over the Bulls on Tuesday after falling behind by 21 points in the first half. Myles Turner did the heavy lifting in the third quarter to put the W back in play and then the group of TJ McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith took turns making winning plays down the stretch. A lot of effort was expended for the win, so we’ll see how that impacts the 48 minutes on tap in Orlando.
The Magic are relatively healthy and playing around .500 of late. With excess length and playmakers who can score inside and out, the young Magic have a bright future and are currently a problem on any given night. Rookie Paolo Banchero will face the Pacers and fellow rookie, Mathurin for the first time this season. The Pacers swept consecutive games played at the Fieldhouse in November, but Banchero was not available.
DraftKings Odds: Magic -5.5, O/U 234 (latest DraftKings odds here)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
TV: Bally Sports Indiana/Bally Sports + app
Radio: 93.5 FM/107.5 FM
Projected Starting Lineups:
Pacers: T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner
Magic: Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Injuries
IND: Andrew Nembhard – questionable (non-COVID illness), Tyrese Haliburton – out (left knee/elbow sprains), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery)
ORL: Caleb Houstan – out (G League assignment), Chuma Okeke – out (left knee surgery)
Please share your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.