Indiana Pacers (16-56) beat Orlando Magic (38-33) 128-126 on the road on Monday, March 23 in a game that stayed within 10 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pacers had the better start, winning the first 34-24 to lead by 10 after one. The Magic moved in front with a 40-25 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Pacers won the third 44-31 to turn the game around, taking a 8-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 31-25; the Pacers held on for a 128-126 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Pacers got more from their shots, finishing at 64.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 57.4% for the Magic. The Pacers made 26.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 19.1 for the Magic. In a 2-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Magic did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 23.7% against 18.2%. The Pacers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Pacers produced 127.9 points per 100 possessions to 125.9 for the Magic.
Who made the difference
Pascal Siakam was the game's biggest individual force for IND: 37 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast on 13-26 shooting. His Game Score of 27.1 led everyone. His team was -1 with him on the floor.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 39 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast on 13-27 shooting, good for a 25.5 Game Score.
Andrew Nembhard (13 pts, 7 reb, 14 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Pacers entered with about a 11% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 5-1.
The Pacers are now 16-56, and the Magic are 38-33. The Pacers last five before this game: L-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.