Mathurin’s 20 leads balanced Pacers past Magic
NDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bennedict Mathurin scored 20 points, four teammates each had 17, and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 118-111 on Wednesday night.
Ahead two in the final minute, the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton sank a 3 and Mathurin made two foul shots. Six of nine Pacers scored in double digits. Haliburton, Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam and Jarace Walker each scored 17. T.J. McConnell had 15.
Orlando’s Franz Wagner led all scorers with 28. Jalen Suggs added 15 and Moritz Wagner had 14 off the bench.
Takeaways
Magic: Lost fifth in a row in a humbling road trip. Orlando’s last win was at home against the Pacers on Oct. 28. Suggs disappeared early as the 17.6-point scorer mustered just two points in the first 19 minutes.
Pacers: After a sluggish 1-3 start, Indiana has won three of four because the Pacers are sharing the ball better and pushing the pace. It helps that Haliburton has regained more of his All-Star form after being slowed by a back injury.
Key moment
Down 97-96 with 8:45 remaining, the Pacers went on a 16-6 run in 4:05 as four players contributed. Turner hit a 3 with a dunk and Haliburton sank a trey with a layup. The Magic never led again.
Key stat
Walker, a second-year pro, set a new career best in points as he made all seven shots, including three 3s. He also had six rebounds.
Up next
The Magic host New Orleans on Friday, and the Pacers visit Charlotte on Friday.
Statistics from AP
ORLANDO (111): F.Wagner 10-23 6-8 28, da Silva 2-4 0-0 5, Bitadze 5-10 0-0 10, Caldwell-Pope 5-10 1-1 13, Suggs 6-10 2-2 15, Howard 0-3 0-0 0, Isaac 4-4 1-2 9, M.Wagner 4-8 6-7 14, Black 4-7 4-6 12, Harris 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 42-82 20-26 111.
INDIANA (118): Mathurin 3-7 13-14 20, Siakam 6-13 5-5 17, Turner 6-17 4-5 17, Haliburton 6-11 2-2 17, Nembhard 2-8 0-0 5, Toppin 2-3 0-0 4, Walker 7-7 0-0 17, McConnell 7-7 0-0 15, Sheppard 2-3 0-0 6 Totals 41-76-24-26-118.
Orlando 26 | 31 | 28 | 26 — 111
Indiana 38 | 23 | 26 | 31 — 118
3-Point Goals: Orlando 7-25 (Caldwell-Pope 2-5, F. Wagner 2-7, Harris 1-2, da Silva 1-2, Suggs 1-3, Black 0-1, M. Wagner 0-1, Bitadze 0-2, Howard 0-2), Indiana 12-26 (Walker 3-3, Haliburton 3-5, Sheppard 2-3, McConnell 1-1, Nembhard 1-2, Mathurin 1-3, Turner 1-6, Siakam 0-3). Fouled Out: None. Rebounds: Orlando 38 (Bitadze 12), Indiana 36 (Mathurin 11). Assists: Orlando 26 (Black, F. Wagner, Suggs 6), Indiana 21 (McConnell, Nembhard 5). Total Fouls: Orlando 22, Indiana 24. Attendance: 16,218 (20,000).