Magic Lacks Energy, Healthy Bodies in Loss vs. Pacers

The Orlando Magic needed a handful of points and healthier players tonight in order to compete with the Indiana Pacers.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 21, 2022

Magic Lacks Energy, Healthy Bodies in Loss vs. Pacers /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (5-13) is heading back home disappointed after a second consecutive loss to the Indiana Pacers (10-6) by a score of 123-102.

The Magic kept pace with the Pacers in the first quarter, but after the first 12 minutes, Orlando appeared to be a step behind its opponent all night long.

The Pacers outscored the Magic by 10 points in the second and third quarters, knocking Orlando way out of contention to sneak in.

To add injury to insult, Chuma Okeke left the game after just 12 minutes on the floor with a sore left knee, adding to the laundry list of injuries for the Magic.

While Gary Harris (knee injury recovery) returned to the floor tonight to the tune of 18 points off the bench, Wendell Carter Jr. (plantar fascia) sat his third game of the last four contests. Not likely a coincidence, the Magic won the only game Carter has played out of the last four.

It's hard to compete every night with half of its roster healthy. Unfortunately for Orlando, it's a harsh reality the team has grown accustomed to. While the team has valiantly fought and neglected to make excuses, it does make these games far more challenging to win.

The Pacers looked sharp tonight, taking advantage of the depleted Magic roster by shooting 50 percent from the floor. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin led all scorers with 22 off the bench.

Now, the Magic rest for the Thanksgiving holiday, hopefully getting a little bit healthier in time for Friday when the Philadelphia 76ers come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Nov 21, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.