Franz Wagner’s impressive 29-point performance led the Orlando Magic to a narrow 94-90 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, maintaining Orlando’s unbeaten home record and pushing them to a 7-6 season.
Wagner’s consistent scoring, including three three-pointers and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, helped secure the victory for the Magic, who have now won 13 straight games at Amway Center.
With Orlando boasting a strong 6-0 home record, the team’s defense played a pivotal role, forcing Indiana into a poor shooting night and limiting them to 38% from the field.
Jalen Suggs also contributed down the stretch, hitting two crucial free throws with just 9.8 seconds left, helping Orlando keep Indiana from staging a late comeback.
Goga Bitadze, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, added to the Magic’s solid defense with key blocks and physical play in the paint.
Meanwhile, Anthony Black contributed off the bench with six points, six assists, four steals, and a game-changing block on Indiana’s Johnny Furphy early in the fourth quarter.
Indiana, led by Pascal Siakam’s 29 points and Bennedict Mathurin’s double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 10 of their 30 attempts.
Mathurin’s fourth-quarter efforts, where he scored 12 consecutive points, kept Indiana within reach, but Orlando’s stifling defense held them back when it counted most.
The Pacers held a four-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but Orlando quickly flipped the momentum with a 13-1 run sparked by Black’s defense and Wagner’s offensive prowess.
Indiana didn’t manage a field goal in the fourth quarter until Siakam broke the drought with a three-pointer nearly five minutes in.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s playmaker, was uncharacteristically quiet in the scoring department, managing only nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, though he dished out 12 assists.
The Pacers’ turnovers compounded their struggles, with their 18 giveaways leading to 21 points for the Magic.
Bitadze, Jonathan Isaac, and Tristan da Silva controlled the boards, out-rebounding Indiana 50-41, giving Orlando crucial second-chance opportunities. Isaac contributed 11 rebounds off the bench, providing a defensive boost in the closing minutes.
The Pacers had their chances, but Orlando’s defense stood tall, with Moses Moody delivering a crucial block on a Mathurin three-point attempt in the game’s final seconds.
