Magic 107, Pacers 94
MAGIC 107, PACERS 94: Dwight Howard continued a dominant stretch with 30 points and 13 rebounds as Orlando picked up its fourth win in the last five games and handed slumping Indiana its fourth consecutive setback.
J.J. Redick recorded 18 points and nine assists and Ryan Anderson collected 12 points and nine boards for the Magic, who did their damage at the beginning of each half.
Orlando got 11 points from Howard in the first quarter as it shot out to a 36-22 lead after the first 12 minutes. Indiana cut it to 56-45 at the break, but the Magic went off again in the third.
Anderson, Redick and Quentin Richardson each hit 3-pointers in the first 6:04 of the third as Orlando stretched the lead to 20 points. Howard put up nine points in the back end of the period, pushing it to 91-66 heading into the fourth as the Magic cruised.
The Pacers bridged February and March with a six-game winning streak against some of the worst teams in the league but have had little success against the top tier, falling to fellow Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando in the last four.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Paul George put up 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Pacers … Howard is averaging 28.5 points in six games this month … Indiana shot 1 for 12 from 3-point range.