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Game Rewind: Pacers 101, Magic 86

101
86

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at 7:00 PM ET at Amway Center

Game Rewind: Pacers 101, Magic 86

Pacers.com Staff

Game Recap

Indiana wrapped up the 2013-14 regular season in the land of Disney down in Orlando Wednesday night. The Pacers won all four quarters, led by six at halftime and by as many as 19 in the second half as they trounced the Magic (23-59), 101-86, at the Amway Center.

With their number one seed and first-round matchup already locked in, Pacers coach Frank Vogel utilized a variety of lineups that allowed a number of players to shine. Six Pacers finished in double-figures for the second game in a row, both wins.

The Pacers finished the year with a 56-26 record, which ties the 1999-2000 Finals team for the third-best winning percentage in NBA franchise history — and the most in 10 years (61 in 2003-04). Wednesday’s win also ensured them of a plus-.500 road record, 21-20, for just the fourth time in franchise history.

As Lance Stephenson, Paul George, David West, C.J. Watson, and Ian Mahinmi rested comfortably on the bench ahead of the postseason, Vogel did start and play George Hill and Roy Hibbert through the first. Both have struggled in recent games and coach wanted them to be the focus early on, call their plays and help them get in rhythm.

The Pacers fell behind in the earlygoing, but then scored nine straight points, capped off by a pair of free throws from Hibbert, to take their first lead, 17-15. Rookie Solomon Hill launched and connected on a 3-pointer to close the first period with the Pacers ahead, 25-20.

In the second, the Pacers actively rebounding their own misses, scoring seven points off of six offensive boards. Playing all 12 minutes, Evan Turner scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds to keep the Pacers on top. The first half concluded with Luis Scola launching a pass from the opposite baseline to Rasual Butler, who went right up and flushed the ball down with both hands. The Pacers took a six-point edge into the locker room, 46-40.

Indiana built on its lead in the third period. They scored 20 of the first 28 points and moved ahead by 18 via an 11-2 spurt. Lavoy Allen scored 10 of his 12 points in the stanza as the Pacers’ lead was 13 with just 12 minutes to play.

Sharpshooter Chris Copeland scored 11 of his season-high 19 points in the final quarter, hitting on 3-of-4 attempts from deep. The Magic failed to get back within single digits and the Pacers cruised to a 15-point victory.

And with that, the regular season comes to a close. The Pacers now have two days to get ready for the Atlanta Hawks, their first-round opponent. The seven-game series tips off on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Inside the Numbers

Chris Copeland (19), Rasual Butler (19) and Donald Sloan (13) each scored in double figures and tallied season-highs. With 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, Lavoy Allen recorded his third double-double of the season and his first in a Pacers uniform. Evan Turner flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Maurice Harkless led the Magic, who shot 41 percent, with 14 points. Purdue product E’Twaun Moore had 13 and grabbed six rebounds. Dewayne Dedmon had eight points and a game-high 13 boards.

The Pacers registered 26 assists on 41 field goals.

Orlando scored 19 points off of 12 Indiana turnovers (just four over the final 24 minutes).

The Pacers shot 48 percent (11-of-23) from downtown and outscored the Magic, who made as many tries as Chris Copeland (five), by 18 points.

Quoteworthy

“So that’s what game 82 feels like. I’ve never felt that before.” – Frank Vogel. (See "Noteworthy" below for an explanation.)

“Really good win for our guys. A lot of guys stepped up. I thought they really played together and shared the basketball. Twenty-six assists, but really, just everybody was making the extra pass all night, and got a lot of good looks as a result of it.” – Frank Vogel

“You want to win every game that you step out on the floor and play. We did a great job of being professional tonight and everybody that played tonight played hard and that is what it is all about.” – Chris Copeland

“I felt good. Just got to work on some things, get some more jump shots up after practice. It was fun but now it’s time to get ready for the playoffs.” – Roy Hibbert

Stat of the Game

All nine Indiana players that played – 14 minutes or more each – scored at least four points and pulled down a couple rebounds.

Noteworthy

  • The Pacers avenged a February 9th loss in Orlando and won the season series, 3-1.
  • The majority of the Pacers began the game with blue headbands, though most of them took it off before first half concluded.
  • Luis Scola was the only Pacer to play in all 82 games this season, the sixth time in seven NBA seasons he hasn’t missed a contest.
  • Frank Vogel finally coached an entire 82-game schedule. He took over as head coach in 2011 for the final 38 games, and then there were 66 games in 2010 due to the lockout. Last season, their game in Boston was canceled due to the Boston Marathon bombings.
  • Indiana is just the second team in NBA history to improve by at least five wins in four consecutive seasons, joining the final four New York Knicks teams in the 1960s.

Up Next

The Pacers open the 2014 Playoffs presented by Key Bank, Kroger, Pepsi, and Steak n' Shake by taking on the Atlanta Hawks this Saturday (Time TBD). Tickets go on sale at Noon ET on Thursday, April 17. Learn More »

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