Orlando Magic Grades: Indiana Pacers 120, Orlando Magic 109

The Orlando Magic were unable to complete a comeback after a subpar defensive showing in the first half, giving the team their first loss in the seeding games.

The Orlando Magic ran into the Indiana Pacers on the wrong night.

From the tip, the Pacers were unconscious from 3-point range. After allowing buckets on the first two possessions, it was clear the Magic were going to struggle with rotations on the defensive end all night.

And far too often the Magic’s misses led to defensive indifference or a team stretched too thin to get out to open shooters. The Pacers were going to make them pay, as playoff-caliber teams do.

In the first quarter, Indiana got out to 16-3 lead and never looked back for a 120-109 win on Tuesday.

The Magic had trouble stopping dribble penetration all night, but most glaringly as the game began. This created space for open shots for the Pacers. And T.J. Warren continued right where he left off so far in the bubble, hitting every shot attempt in the first half.

In the first quarter alone, the Pacers scored 43 points, hit seven 3-pointers, and shot 70 percent from the field. Those stats right there are enough to sum up the entire night. It is rare to bounce back from a quarter like that.

Down 21 points, the Magic were climbing out of a very deep hole.

The Magic showed signs of life throughout the game, cutting the lead to as little as 12 in the third quarter and then to nine late in the fourth. But they just could not string together enough stops to make a real dent in the deficit.

The Pacers weathered every storm.

The Magic showed great energy recovering and trying to fight back in stretches. They actually commanded most of the interior, as Nikola Vucevic began to go to work. On the defensive end, they continued to defend the Indiana pick-and-roll, giving up wide-open lay-ups and three’s.

Had it not been for Terrance Ross’ 20-point outburst in the second half, the Orlando guards would have been severely outplayed. Both D.J. Augustin and Markelle Fultz struggled to defend at the point of attack and Evan Fournier had one of his poorer shooting nights in recent memory.

Losses like this happen to the best of teams so there is no need to panic moving forward. There is just disappointment the Magic did not make the most of this opportunity to secure a needed win over a playoff-caliber team — a team the Magic want to usurp at some point in the future.

Coach Steve Clifford was certainly disappointed with the team, calling the effort unacceptable.

The Pacers had a hot shooting night early and Magic dug themselves into too big of a hole. The most concerning takeaway is simply the lack of energy and poor rotating on the defensive end.

As a team, the Pacers finished shooting 54.8 percent from the field as the “law of averages” worked against them, but that is still impressive. The most notable things the Pacers do, and have done all season, is space the floor and swing the ball. They are leading the NBA in mid-range scoring and it seems like their coaching staff has encouraged players to take a step back and launch more threes. They were lethal and efficient and the Magic never threatened them.

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A+

The Indiana Pacers scored 43 points in the first quarter on 70-percent shooting, while hitting seven 3-pointers. It is that simple. The Pacers, for the entire first half, shot the ball better than any team we have seen so far in the bubble. And they did it with ease, tearing up the Magic’s lackadaisical or “mindless” defense.

This all starts with TJ Warren, who ended the game with 32 points on 13-for-17 shooting, 4 for 5 from three. Warren has been far and away from the biggest breakout star so far in the seeding games, averaging 39.6 ppg in three games.

As a team, the Pacers finished shooting 54.8 percent from the field as the “law of averages” worked against them, but that is still impressive. The most notable things the Pacers do, and have done all season, is space the floor and swing the ball. They are leading the NBA in mid-range scoring and it seems like their coaching staff has encouraged players to take a step back and launch more threes. They were lethal and efficient and the Magic never threatened them.