Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) drives past Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Franz Wagner scored 29 points and the Orlando Magic benefited from a fourth-quarter surge to post a 94-90 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers in the NBA on Wednesday.
Orlando’s Goga Bitadze collected 12 points and 12 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Moritz Wagner each had 10 points.
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The Magic outscored the Pacers by a 26-18 margin in the fourth quarter to improve to 6-0 at home.
READ: NBA Cup: Franz Wagner scoring surge as Magic rout Hornets
Indiana’s Pascal Siakam sank four 3-pointers to highlight his 25-point performance, and Bennedict Mathurin added 23 points and 12 rebounds.
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Myles Turner contributed 11 points while Tyrese Haliburton logged nine points and 12 assists, but the Pacers fell to 2-5 on the road this season.
Indiana secured a 72-68 lead after scoring nine of the final 11 points of the third quarter. Undaunted, Orlando scored the first 13 points of the fourth, highlighted by two 3-pointers from Jonathan Isaac and one from Moritz Wagner.
Siakam answered with a 3-pointer, but the Magic pulled away by scoring nine of the next 12 points. Caldwell-Pope converted from beyond the arc and added a bucket in the interior to stake Orlando a 90-78 lead with 3:42 remaining.
READ: NBA: Magic snap 5-game slide at expense of depleted Pelicans
Mathurin scored 10 of the game’s next 12 points, and Haliburton’s dunk trimmed the Magic’s lead to 92-90 with 11.2 seconds to play. Suggs, however, sank a pair of free throws and Haliburton misfired on a 3-point attempt to end the game.
Tempers flared midway through the third quarter as Siakam and Bitadze exchanged shoves and words underneath the basket, leading to a double technical foul being issued.
Haliburton answered a 0-for-6 performance from the floor in the first half by sinking a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to stake Indiana to a 54-51 lead early in the third quarter.
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Indiana saw its 12-point edge trimmed to 38-36 after Cole Anthony sank a floating jumper with 4:37 remaining in the second quarter. The Pacers responded with seven straight points, highlighted by Siakam converting a three-point play and Ben Sheppard draining a 3-pointer. –Field Level Media