Indiana Pacers move into top-four of Eastern Conference with dominant win over Orlando Magic

The Pacers have won five games in a row.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers improved to 10-6 after crushing the Orlando Magic 123-102 on Monday night. The Pacers are now in the top-four of the Eastern Conference standings and have won five straight games.

It was the Pacers most complete win of the season. The team didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but their defense was excellent, and multiple guys stepped up after a sluggish start.

The Pacers trailed 35-34 in the middle of the second quarter before Oshae Brissett hit a layup to give them the lead. They never looked back. They were up by ten before the quarter ended and up by nearly 20 at the end of the third quarter. Once Indiana figured out their plan of attack, they dominated the rest of the way.

"Just attacking downhill, getting downhill with the bigs on me," point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of what the Pacers did well. He noted that they were more prepared for the Magic's defense tonight, which switches often. "T.J. [McConnell] and the second group did a great job today getting into the paint, finishing."

The blue and gold put pressure on the rim all night. They hit 30 two-point shots and had 58 points in the paint against a tall and lanky Magic team. The size didn't bother the Pacers the same way it did on Saturday. They pushed right through it to take control of the game.

Indiana was led by fantastic point guard play all night. Haliburton, fresh off of a player of the week trophy, had 18 points and 14 assists, including nine assists in the first half. He didn't even play in the fourth quarter as the Pacers were rolling at that point.

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McConnell, Haliburton's backup, was similarly impressive and had his best game of the season. The reserve floor general finished with 19 points and ten assists, and he tied his career high with a trio of made three-point shots. McConnell was excellent, and his style being so similar to Haliburton's makes lineups run seamlessly.

"He did his thing, he was shooting the ball with confidence," reserve center Isaiah Jackson said of McConnell. "He was doing everything, he was everywhere on the defensive end... I love when he plays like that, I love playing with him."

The Pacers were led in scoring by rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with a quiet 22 points — he was extremely efficient. Oshae Brissett (18 points) and Isaiah Jackson (ten points, eight rebounds) also had solid performances as Indiana's bench unit played very well in this game.

Nobody thought that the blue and gold would be this good, but here they are. Through 16 games, they are four games over .500 and have moved into the top-four of the Eastern Conference standings. Indiana is playing connected, spirited basketball, and they have been for much of November, a month that they have a 7-1 record in. Tonight, that continued as the team finished with 32 assists on their 43 made shots. The ball was flying around, and everybody got involved.

"We've just got good people who are great teammates and want the next guy to succeed," McConnell said of the team. "And we do that at a high level. Make the extra pass and cover for each other on defense."

The Pacers schedule is about to get much tougher. They have two home games to close out this week against playoff teams from last season — Minnesota and Brooklyn — and then they head out on a long, grueling road trip. The team looks terrific right now, but much will be learned about their true ability level in the coming weeks.

Tonight, though, they looked great. Perhaps better than they have all season. And they will look to continue that on Wednesday when the Timberwolves come to town for the only time this season.

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• Oshae Brissett puts together his best game of the season to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors: 'He's doing it at a high level'. CLICK HERE.
• Aaron Nesmith shows off his growth with career night vs Orlando Magic. CLICK HERE.
• Younger Indiana Pacers players are benefitting from T.J. McConnell's leadership. CLICK HERE.
• Report: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. CLICK HERE.
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