Pacers continue finding their stride in win over Magic, look to continue in Charlotte on Friday night

The Pacers beat short-handed Magic team that was not short on effort to log consecutive wins for the first time this season.

The Pacers caught a break by catching the Magic without Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. and for once, took advantage to deliver a 118-111 win on Wednesday night.

Of course, the Pacers are without their backup bigs and were missing starter Aaron Nesmith, but the reserve unit was more than capable of keeping the Pacers rolling for 48 minutes. The Pacers jumped out to an 18 point lead early in the game, but the Magic, with pesky and relentless guard rotation lead by Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, would not go easy into the night. The Magic also used some zone defense with mucked up the Pacers good times on the offensive end.

The Pacers took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter and appeared to seize control for good with a double-digit lead with four minutes to go. However, the Magic continued pushing until Franz Wagner, who was Orlando’s primary offensive weapon with 28 points (on 23 shots) scored to cut the lead to two points with 43 seconds to go.

Tyrese Haliburton answered with a 3-ball to fuel a 5-0 closing run for the Pacers to put the game on ice. Haliburton started the game slow from an offensive standpoint, but came alive in the second half and finished with 17 points and 4 assists, making 3 of 5 from 3-land which is a much better ratio of shots from deep than he has had in prior games.

Benn Mathurin continued his strong play alongside Haliburton with 20 points (on just 7 shots!) and 11 rebounds. Mathurin was able to get to the line 14 times, converting on all but one freebie. That ability to still get to the line, let alone convert adds a valuable dimension to the Pacers attack.

The reserve unit, lead by Jarace Walker and TJ McConnell, also came up large. Obi Toppin and Ben Sheppard were the only other reserve runners and the four combined to make 18 of 20 shots BOTH Walker and TJM making 7 of 7 shots. Walker made a trio of threes and a lovely lefty floater while going across the lane to finish with 17 points and 6 rebounds while continuing to stay solid on the defensive end. Compared to the Mavericks game, Walker was much more assertive on the offensive end from the get go, as he appears to be finding a comfort level to just play his game without the rigidity of thinking too much.

Photo: @Pacers

So, the Pacers have dug out of their early 1-3 hole to move to 4-4 which is good for third place in the jumbled mess that is the Eastern Conference. While the continuity the Pacers were leaning on hasn’t been as strong as hoped in the early part of the season, the development of young players to raise the ceiling of the team is certainly showing signs of legitimate impact.

Obviously, Walker and Mathurin are showing up, but Sheppard has been equally solid in his role. The depth has to be a differentiator for the Pacers in matchups with other top-heavy rosters and it is showing up even when injuries minimize the rotation options.

Speaking of which, the Pacers are in Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Friday night. Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnel have shown up on the injury report as questionable. With just one true center available, it would be nice to have more than just one point guard, so hopefully at least one of the two can give it a go as they face LaMelo Ball who always plays in fifth gear.

The Hornets have their own front court issues with center Nick Richards and backup Mark Williams out which has forced Charlotte to go smaller of late with Miles Bridges playing ‘center’ next to Brandon Miller and Taj Gibson. Now it appears, Bridges is out after hyperextending his knee, so with a full injury list it is hard to tell who may show up in Charlotte. Myles Turner should be a factor with this matchup if they can take advantage and still guard in space at the other end. Regardless, going smaller with the reserve minutes shouldn’t be a problem for the Pacers.

The Pacers can continue digging out from their early missteps by taking care of business in Charlotte ahead of a heated rematch with the Knicks on Sunday at the Fieldhouse. But it will once, again take a full 48 minute effort from the full rotation to deliver another dub.

Pacers vs. Magic

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

When: Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers -7

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Josh Green, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, Taj Gibson

Injuries

Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out, TJ McConnell (illness) - questionable, Andrew Nembhard (knee) - questionable

Hornets: Miles Bridges (knee) - out, DaQuan Jeffries (hand) - out, Nick Richards (rib) - out, Mark Williams (left foot) - out, Brandon Miller (shoulder) - probable, Grant Williams (back) - probable