Magic Start Off Hot, Survive Late Pacers Run in Win

The Orlando Magic got off to a hot start and built a win off of it against the Indiana Pacers.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 25, 2023

Magic Start Off Hot, Survive Late Pacers Run in Win /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic (19-29) is in the win column again after its second straight victory at home this week.

The Magic beat the Indiana Pacers (24-26) 126-120 Wednesday night at Amway Center.

The Magic got off to a hot start, scoring 46 points in the first quarter. The scoring outburst marked the second-highest first-quarter total in franchise history after the team's 50-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the year.

Paolo Banchero scored 13 points in the first frame and finished the game with a team-high 23.

The Magic led wire-to-wire and by as much as 17, but the Pacers never folded. Despite trailing by 12 with less than six minutes to play, the Pacers pulled to within five points with less than 30 seconds to go.

However, the Magic was too much. Despite a game-high 26 points from rookie Bennedict Mathurin, it wasn't enough to pull out a win.

With the win, the Magic grabs its 19th victory of the season. Last year, the Magic picked up its 19th win on Mar. 20 and won just 22 games overall.

The Magic looks to get win No. 20 Friday night when the team takes its talents to South Beach to play the Miami Heat. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Jan 25, 2023

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.