The Lead
Two nights ago, the Orlando Magic celebrated a thrilling victory. On Friday, it was their opponent who did the same. Malcolm Brogdon drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 120-118 victory over the Magic on Friday. Evan Fournier, who scored a season-high 26 points, missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer.
Clutch Moments
Domantas Sabonis, who posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and five steals, connected on a game-tying left-handed baby hook off the glass with 10.7 seconds left in regulation. In the extra session, the Magic took a three-point lead with just under a minute remaining when Nikola Vucevic scored on a layup. Sabonis made a layup with 35.7 ticks left to cut Indiana’s deficit to one before Brogdon’s game winner.
Top Performer
The Magic deeply missed Fournier in those nine games he was out with back spasms. As he did in Minnesota the other night, the 6-foot-7 veteran looked sharp despite missing two 3-point tries late in the extra session, including the one at the final buzzer. Fournier’s game-high 26 points came on 8-of-14 overall shooting and 4-of-8 3-point shooting. He scored Orlando’s first seven points in overtime.
Player Spotlight
Aaron Gordon has two triple-doubles in his career after a league review credited him with a 10th assist that originally was awarded to a teammate during Monday’s game against the Knicks. He came close to notching another one on Friday with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder, who scored the Magic’s first 11 points of the game, is getting more and more comfortable in his point forward role.
Key Stat
Normally an excellent free throw shooting team, the Magic really struggled from the stripe during Friday’s loss. They missed nine foul shots, including two in overtime. Where they did excel was from 3-point range. Orlando knocked down a season-high 17 threes. Unusual in an NBA game, two made threes (one by each team) were deducted from the scoreboard after replay review showed that the shooters’ heels were touching the out-of-bounds sideline.
Injury Report
Michael Carter-Williams (sprained left foot) didn’t play in Friday’s game but is very close to returning. He was listed as questionable in the hours leading up to tip-off. Al-Farouq Aminu (right knee rehabilitation), Markelle Fultz (torn ACL, left knee), Chuma Okeke (left knee bone bruise), Mo Bamba (non-team contact tracing) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) were all out as well.
Quote of the Night
“This one’s painful. We fought really hard and I feel like we had the game twice. I feel like they just stole it away from us. Congrats to them. They played a good game. They stuck with it. But, we should have won that one. It’s really hard to swallow.” – Fournier
Up Next
The Magic, who went 1-4 on the road trip and are currently 7-9, return home to play four straight and seven of their next eight at Amway Center. Their next opponent is the Charlotte Hornets, whom they will play Sunday and Monday, with tip-off at 7 p.m. both nights. The Hornets lost to the Bulls on Friday. Gordon Hayward tallied 34 points and DeVonte’ Graham chipped in with 24. Orlando and Charlotte also met twice during the preseason.