Orlando Magic Grades: Indiana Pacers 114, Orlando Magic 112

It was good to see Aaron Gordon get a chance at the final shot. That has not been his role for this team very often and increasingly it needs to be something he gets a shot at more. The Magic can run plays for Gordon and get him good looks that feel natural within the offense.

That is what the Magic did for much of the first half when he scored 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting. He also added four assists, doing a good job being patient against the defense and finding open players. This is Gordon setting others up and playing as the star he can be. And the Magic are really good when he does this.

Orlando went away from Gordon in the second half though. He scored just seven points on 3-for-7 shooting in the second half. In total, his 22 points on 9-for-20 shooting does not look stupendous. He could still use a bit more efficiency, but he also should be much more involved.

Things have gotten to a weird place with Elfrid Payton. After four years as the starting point guard for the Orlando Magic, he has taken over the role and is clearly the Magic’s best point guard by talent and overall. But he also does not seem to have enough control over the team to get them playing more urgently late in games. Everything feels very with the flow. He does not change momentum, he just goes with it.

And so as things went downhill late, all eyes were squarely on Payton. It was Elfrid Payton getting eaten up time and time again by Victor Oladipo on the pick and roll. It was Payton getting the Magic stuck on offense, unable to get the Magic to do much more than pass-pass-shoot. There was little penetration and little attack. Payton was a passive observer.

That is not who Payton is all the time. Payton had aggressive moments and made some big plays at times. Effort is not his problem. But he just is not able to rise up to the moment late in games. His 12 points and five assists hardly made the impact the Magic need from him.

Evan Fournier has found his shooting stroke again since returning from his ankle injury. He is shooting it confidently and using it to set up his drives. Evan Fournier is effective and efficient once again. That is what he gave Orlando throughout Saturday’s game. He was smart and efficient.

That is how he finished with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting. This was Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon working well together. Each getting their opportunities and playing together. Gordon was working well as a distributor and Fournier as a finisher.

But Fournier did not finish where it mattered. In the fourth quarter, the Magic tried playing through Fournier. And too often, he was too quick coming off a screen and simply firing rather than trying to work for a better shot. The ball stopped with Fournier. And that was the case in the fourth quarter. It was the only point in the game he missed consistently.

For one brief moment, Mario Hezonja was going to silence anyone who doubted the Orlando Magic’s pick from three years ago. He got the ball on the wing, saw a clear runway and took off. Flying over Myles Turner, a player some Magic fans felt the team should have taken that year, for a one-handed jam. This was Hezonja. Or the one everyone wanted.

Hezonja has continued his strong run of play this season with nine points and four rebounds, making three of his five shots. He continues to play his role and stay within himself. Hezonja is a capable shooter, but he does not settle anymore. And his drives are not wild forays leading to turnovers.

Hezonja will still give into his own whims and fancies. He took an ill-advised 3-pointer as the Pacers cut the lead to three for the first time in the fourth quarter. It was a “let me answer this” 3-pointer. That should not be what Hezonja does. But Hezonja is giving the Magic what they need, including an occasional highlight.

The Indiana Pacers have made a habit of coming back from 20-point deficits. That is a big part of their m.o. as a team. It has helped them grow into the team they are becoming and the team they are. That kind of resolve is how a team builds character and begins to believe in their Playoff cause. This is a Playoff team in Indiana.

Victor Oladipo was the catalyst for this run, devouring the Magic’s interior defense over and over down the stretch. He finished with 24 points and six assists. It brought everyone else up with him, particularly former Magic draft pick Domantas Sabonis, who scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Pacers will have to ask themselves how they let this Magic team make building a 21-point lead look so easy. Orlando was the better team most of the night. It took the Magic’s collapse to give the Pacers the space to win the game. But that is ultimately all that matters to them.