Pacers at Magic
THE STORY: Expect to see plenty of bench action Wednesday as the Orlando Magic host the Indiana Pacers in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Magic are locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the final game of the season, while the Pacers will finish eighth in the conference no matter what happens Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSIN, FSFL
ABOUT THE MAGIC (51-30): Orlando overcame several ups and downs throughout the year to post their fourth consecutive 50-win campaign. That earned them the No. 4 spot in the East and a first-round meeting with the Atlanta Hawks. The key to that series will likely be the effectiveness of forward Dwight Howard, and whether the Hawks can frustrate him into take careless fouls. Howard has a penchant for doing just that, having returned from a one-game suspension Monday for accumulating too many technicals. Howard had 19 points and 13 rebounds in the 95-85 win over Philadelphia, Orlando's third win in the past four games.
ABOUT THE PACERS (37-44): Being seven games below .500 usually isn't a recipe for reaching the postseason, but with a weak lower half of the Eastern Conference the Pacers qualified almost by default. Their reward: a first-round date with the powerhouse Chicago Bulls, the hottest team in basketball since December. Indiana comes into Wednesday's game fresh off a heartbreaking 110-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 20 points while Roy Hibbert added 19 points and 10 rebounds. A loss Wednesday would give Indiana the worst record of any playoff team since the 2007-08 Hawks.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Howard is enjoying the best season of his already-impressive career, averaging 23 points and 14.1 rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field. Hibbert is having a strong April, with averages of 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
KEY STATISTIC: 119.7 – the Pacers' scoring average over the last three games. Indiana will need every bit of that offensive punch against the stingy Bulls.
SEASON SERIES: Orlando leads 2-0, with both victories coming on the road. The Magic shaded Indiana 90-86 on Nov. 20 before posting a 111-96 triumph in their most recent encounter Jan. 26.
KEY INJURIES: ORLANDO: G Gilbert Arenas (leg): G J.J. Redick (abdomen). INDIANA: None.
LAST WORD: Despite nearing a career best in rebounding, this will mark the first time since 2006-07 that Howard will not win the league title in that category. Minnesota's Kevin Love takes over as king of the boards with 15.2 per game.