Magic at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers had their three-game winning streak halted and look
to start a new one when they host the Orlando Magic on Monday. Indiana
was on the short end of a 101-97 decision against the Cleveland
Cavaliers on Sunday to drop to 3-4 on the campaign.
Pacers forward Paul George continued his strong play with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the loss to Cleveland. George has produced three consecutive double-doubles — four overall on the season — and is averaging 23 points and 9.3 rebounds. Orlando is expected to be without starting center Nikola Vucevic (bone bruise in his right knee) for the third straight game, and the club has posted back-to-back victories in his absence. "It feels great getting back-to-back wins — a first for the season," said forward Evan Fournier, who is averaging a team-best 18.7 points. "We’re playing good basketball right now and we’re playing with confidence."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Midwest (Indiana)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (3-4): Second-year point guard Elfrid Payton was dreadful over Orlando's first six games before breaking out with a stellar showing against Philadelphia. Payton was 8-of-10 from the field and scored a season-best 20 points — 12 coming in the fourth quarter — while flashing the form that made him one of the league's top rookies last season. "It’s just about me continuing to play my game and stay as aggressive as possible," Payton said afterward. "It was the same confidence and me playing the same way. It was just about me continuing to trust my work. I was able to get to the rim."
ABOUT THE PACERS (3-4): Offseason acquisition Monta Ellis had 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting and didn't commit a turnover against Cleveland in his best showing of the season. The veteran guard scored in single digits three times while averaging just 10.3 points over the first six contests but looked more like the player with a 19.3 career average against the Cavaliers. Ellis averaged 18.9 points for the Dallas Mavericks last season, and the Pacers are looking for him to be a scoring complement to George.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers won all three meetings last season and have been victorious in eight of the past nine regular-season meetings.
2. Orlando SG Victor Oladipo has scored in double digits in all seven games but is shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range.
3. Indiana PG Rodney Stuckey (ankle) likely will miss his second straight game while SG C.J. Miles (ankle) hopes to return after a three-game absence.