Magic at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers welcome back their all-time leader in coaching victories when Frank Vogel brings his Orlando Magic to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday. Vogel led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014 among six seasons as coach before his contract was not renewed following a first-round playoff loss last spring.
“I’m sure it’ll be emotional,” Vogel told the Orlando Sentinel recently. “(I have) a lot of strong ties there still, a lot of great memories.” Indiana, which resides in the Central Division cellar, won’t be too sentimental once the ball is tossed into the air having suffered three losses in its last four games. The Magic look to make it two victorious homecomings in as many nights after Serge Ibaka burned his former team for a career-high 31 points, including the winning basket, in a 119-117 triumph at Oklahoma City on Sunday. “He’s struggled a little bit at times for us,” Vogel said of Ibaka, who had averaged 8.7 points in his previous three games – all losses. “But I was really happy for him to have this kind of performance.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE MAGIC (4-6): Orlando received big performances from several players Sunday as Evan Fournier scored 21 points for the second straight game and point guard Elfrid Payton recorded season highs in points (23) and 3-pointers (three). The Magic have gotten a boost off the bench from point guard D.J. Augustin, who is averaging 13.7 points over his last three contests. On the flip side, center Nikola Vucevic is 4-for-24 from the field in his last two games and has been hampered by a shoulder injury.
ABOUT THE PACERS (4-6): Leading scorer Paul George (ankle/thumb) could return after missing Saturday's 105-99 loss to Boston in which Indiana registered fewer than 100 points for just the second time this season. Point guard Jeff Teague led the way with 20 points, but the Pacers shot just 41.9 percent from the field and were 6-for-27 from 3-point range. Center Myles Turner, who is second on the team in scoring (15.2), bounced back from a season-low five-point output to score 17 on 6-of-8 shooting on Saturday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana G Monta Ellis has averaged 17 points over his last two games after four straight contests of single-digit scoring.
2. Orlando F Aaron Gordon is 9-for-18 from the field and averaging 10.5 points in two games since being moved out of the starting lineup.
3. The Pacers won seven straight in the series before the Magic triumphed 114-94 at Indiana in March.