The Orlando Magic bounced back from a miserable first quarter with a dominating fourth quarter to earn a 106-98 win and end their losing streak at two games. The Magic came out flat, much like they did against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and dug themselves a 17-point hole before staging a second quarter rally. Vince Carter, who was almost didn’t play, finished with a game-high 28 points. Dwight Howard had 21 points and 23 rebounds but his night will probably be best remembered for a near brawl after he was the victim of a hard foul by Pacers Forward Troy Murphy.
You can read more about the tussle here.
In the first quarter, it was all Pacers. Indiana got off to a near-perfect start, scoring 21 of the game’s first 27 points. The Magic could not get anything going on offense outside of Carter, who kept the game within reach, scoring 14 of the Orlando’s 17 first quarter points. The Magic shot 6-of-23 from the field (26.1%) in the quarter and Carter had five of those field goals. The Pacers, on the other hand, shot 14-of-24 (58.3%) and held a 30-17 lead.
In the second quarter, it looked like it was going to be more of the same. The Pacers scored the first four points of the quarter and extended their lead to 17. That’s when Orlando’s second unit took over. The bench led the Magic on a 28-8 run to give the Magic a brief lead. They couldn’t hold it and the Pacers went into halftime with a 54-53 lead. Orlando’s offense improved, shooting 13-of-21 in the period, but they still allowed the Pacers to shoot 10-of-21 and remain in the lead.
The third quarter was very back and forth. The two teams traded buckets throughout the period and the Magic got back into the lead, but they lost their leads very quickly. The quarter ended with the Pacers holding an 81-79 lead.
The fourth quarter looked like it was going to go the same way the third quarter did until the Magic locked down the Pacers for the final six minutes. Earl Watson hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 94-92 lead (following an Anthony Johnson 3-pointer that gave Orlando a 1-point lead). The teams traded baskets and the Pacers led 96-94 with 4:03 to play. The Magic scored the next 10 points to not only take the lead, but put the game away. After Vince Carter scored six straight points, Rashard Lewis and J.J. Redick hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Magic and 8-point lead. Rashard Lewis’ dunk with 36 seconds to play put an exclamation point on the victory. The Pacers were without a field goal for the game’s final five minutes.
Dwight Howard was a monster Monday night. He was very aggressive on the offensive glass – 9 of his 23 rebounds were offensive. His offensive rebound percentage was 20%. He didn’t shoot well from the field because he was hammered by the Pacers throughout the game, but he had had two put-back dunks. He was fouled on each of these put-backs, but still managed to finish.
Pacers Head Coach Jim O’Brien admitted that fouling Howard was their plan coming into the game.
"“It’s based on fouling the hell out of Dwight Howard, which was our game plan the whole time. He hit three foul shots that had no business going in down the stretch.”"
Howard was 13-off-22 from the line. He finished the game with 21 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks and was able to play a game-high 42 minutes because he picked up just 2 fouls in the game. If Howard can keep his cool and stay out of foul trouble, expect to see many more nights like this.
Not only did Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy defend Dwight Howard, he praised his play on Monday night.
"“I thought Dwight rebounded decently, 23 rebounds, 9 offensive, I mean incredible. Four blocks, I mean, phenomenal, phenomenal effort, especially in the second half.”"
Vince Carter, who had a sore knee, injured ribs and was sick, was not expected to play today. In fact, he didn’t even think he was going to play.
"“Before the game, I wasn’t sure. I was just trying to get fluids in me – that’s probably why I’m sweating so much now. I felt weak all day. I just wanted to try and get some sleep. I couldn’t hold down fluids yesterday. Today, I tried to drink as much as possible and get some rest. When I got here, I felt a little better and saw my name on the board over there so I guess that means I have to play.”"
It’s a good thing Carter did play. He kept the Magic in the game early, scoring 14 of their 17 first quarter points. He was very aggressive and got to the hoop throughout the night. He did a good of setting up his teammates on his drives as well. He finished the game with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting (2-of-4 from downtown) with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He was especially good down the stretch when he scored six straight points. His final two points of the night, two free throws with 2:54 to play, gave Orlando the lead for good.
Van Gundy was pleased with Carter’s play.
"“I thought Vince really finished the game well, attacking the basket on pick-and-rolls, getting to the free throw line and making plays to other people.”"
The Magic bench was fantastic tonight. The second team, especially the backcourt of Anthony Johnson and J.J. Redick, had great energy. The bench combined to score 41 points, dish out 13 assists and grab 12 rebounds.
You can read more about Johnson’s play tonight here.
J.J. had a very efficient game. He was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to finish the game with 13 points. Not only did Redick score, but he did an excellent job of setting up his teammates, dishing out 5 assists. Overall, Orlando’s second team backcourt combined to score 26 points and dish out 12 assists, while committing just a single turnover.
Van Gundy was happy with the bench’s play.
"“I thought J.J. was very, very good all night and Anthony Johnson, another very, very good game. I thought out second unit guys did a real good job, saved us in the first half and got us back in the game.”"
Orlando’s defense was awful to start the game. The Magic really struggled to defend the paint in the first quarter, but got that figured out as the game went on. They gradually improved and had an excellent final quarter. The Pacers shot just 7-of-21 in the final quarter and were held without a field goal for the final five minutes.
Van Gundy was very pleased with Orlando’s defense in the final period, but he had one request.
"“I’d like to see that kind of focus and intensity for much longer periods of time instead of just doing it when we think we need it.”"
One thing Orlando has struggled with recently has been turning the ball over. Not tonight. The Magic had just seven turnovers, which is tied for a season low.
Game Notes:
- Orlando dominated the game at the free throw. Orlando, thanks to Jim O’Brien’s strategy to foul Dwight Howard, shot 35 free throws, making 25 of them, while Indiana went just 7-of-10 from the line.
- Dwight Howard had his third 20-20 game of the season and his third in his last four games against Indiana.
- The Magic are 12-2 when five or more players score in double figures. Orlando’s five tonight were Vince Carter (28), Dwight Howard (21), Anthony Johnson (13), J.J. Redick (13) and Rashard Lewis (10).
- Mike Dunleavy had a season-high 26 points to lead the Pacers.
Next up: Hedo Turkoglu returns to Amway Arena for the first time since the 2009 NBA finals when the Toronto Raptors take on the Magic on Wednesday night.
Final Thought: The Magic struggled early, but rebounded from a disappointing end of their road trip to get the win.
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)