Pacers 98, Magic 83
Rodney Stuckey scored a season-high 24 points and David West added 18 in his season debut as Indiana rolled over visiting Orlando.
West went 8-of-17 from the field and handed out four assists after returning from an ankle injury as the Pacers won for the sixth time in nine games. Solomon Hill scored 11 while Lavoy Allen chipped in with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Indiana, which had a 53-32 advantage on the boards.
Nikola Vucevic led the way with 16 points while Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris notched 14 apiece for the Magic, who have dropped four straight contests. Ben Gordon added 12 points off the bench for Orlando, which turned the ball over 18 times overall and scored only 14 points in the third quarter.
The Pacers recorded eight straight points – four by West – to take a 45-34 lead in the second quarter before Vucevic scored six as the Magic rallied to within 47-45 at intermission. Hill made a basket and West drained a 3-pointer to start the second half as Indiana methodically pulled away to take a 72-59 lead into the fourth quarter.
Kyle O’Quinn’s three-point play brought the Magic within 72-64 before Allen made two baskets and Chris Copeland drained a 3-pointer during a 9-0 run to push the lead to 17. Harris scored four as Orlando tallied the next six to trim the deficit to 11, but Stuckey followed with the next five points and the Pacers cruised from there.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Indiana G C.J. Watson (foot) also returned after missing the first 15 games and scored nine points in 18 minutes while C Roy Hibbert (left ankle) was held out for the third consecutive contest. … Orlando G Evan Fournier extended his streak of making a 3-pointer in every game this season with one, but shot 2-of-10 overall. … The Pacers have won six of the last seven meetings with the Magic.