If this duel—or rather this mano-a-mano– between the Pacers and the Magic may not have been the most enticing of all on paper, but it did give us the opportunity to observe a multitude of talents.
Among which Tyrese Haliburton (22 points, 14 assists) and Myles Turner (20 points, 11 rebounds) on the side ofIndiana and Franz Wagner (29 points), bowl bowl (22 points, 11 rebounds) or even Mo Bamba (21 points, 9 rebounds) on the side ofOrlando.
On arrival, it was finally the teammates of the Haliburton / Turner pair who went for the victory (114-113), in pain and at the end of the suspense. It was thus necessary to wait for the last ten seconds of the game, and two free throws ofAaron Nesmith (19 points), to see Rick Carlisle’s men win for the fourth time in a row.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— The four following Indiana. As against the Rockets the day before, it was laborious, but the Pacers still garnered a fourth success in a row, to climb into the Top 5 in the East and confirm their good start to the season. Today, in addition to Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, they can also thank the 3-point skill of their shooters, such as Buddy Hield (5/11) or Aaron Nesmith (5/8), because it has long served them allowed to stay in contact with the Magic in the first half. Then to put their mark on the second period.
— Orlando can blame himself. Long installed at the controls of this part, thanks to the lack of cleanliness of their evening opponents with the ball, the Magic players – still deprived of Paolo Banchero – have however never been able to widen a significant gap, when the Pacers gave them some. the occasion. What Jamahl Mosley’s men ended up regretting, because Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and others began to adjust the cursor on returning from the locker room, so as not to give too many gifts to their visitors. Unlike the latter, too clumsy and irregular in defense after the break.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. Pacers strongmen, with their connection still working very well, Haliburton and Turner both finished in double-doubles. Above all, beyond their statistics alone, their influence on the meeting was very important, since the light almost essentially came from them. In particular from the leader, omnipresent on each side of the floor and just perfect for involving his teammates… including his pivot, who finally seems to have found consistency and agreed to get closer to the circle to dominate.
✅ The Wagner-Bol-Bamba trio. Constituting the Florida “Big Three” of the evening, Franz Wagner, Bol Bol and Mo Bamba took turns to feed the Magic brand. More particularly in the second half: Wagner, alternating successes at 3-pts and near the circle, while relaxed and aggressive; Bol and Bamba, imposing their size and muscles in the paint, in the absence of Wendell Carter Jr, while stepping aside on occasion to punish Myles Turner and Jalen Smith.
✅ Aaron Nesmith. More than the surprising rookie Bennedict Mathurin, the very energetic Nesmith was the Pacers’ main weapon off the bench. Aggressive and inspired at 3-pts, he especially scored (without shaking) the two free throws of the win, ten seconds from the end, after snatching an offensive rebound in the middle of several Florida players. Proof of its beautiful activity.
⛔ Andrew Nembhard. Discreet and delicate performance from the back of Indiana, author of a zero point in scoring in 18 minutes, suffering against Jalen Suggs or Franz Wagner defensively and constantly present on the floor when his team took a shine . Hence the decision of his coach to keep him on the bench, to let Aaron Nesmith speak.
⛔ Admiral Schofield. Taking advantage of the absence of Wendell Carter Jr. to glean playing time, the interior of Orlando clearly did not score points in the eyes of his coach. With 2 points in 13 minutes, 1/5 on shots and with a differential of -20 when he was on the floor, Schofield missed almost everything he undertook offensively, in addition to suffering several times in the face of attacks. repeated from Myles Turner or even Jalen Smith.
THE FOLLOWING
Indiana (9-6) : reception of Orlando, again, in the night from Monday to Tuesday (01:00).
Orlando (5-12) : trip to Indiana, again, in the night from Monday to Tuesday (01:00).
