Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 19 points, including two foul shots with 9.6 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers extended their winning streak to four games with a 114-113 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 14 assists for Indiana, while Myles Turner contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds. Buddy Hield scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Jalen Smith added 14 points for the surprising Pacers, who have won eight of their last 10 games.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 29 points, while Bol Bol had 22 points and 11 rebounds. Mo Bamba added 21 points and nine rebounds, R.J. Hampton had 14 points, and Jalen Suggs tallied 12 points and eight assists.
Orlando took a 113-109 lead with 1:43 remaining when Wagner made one of his five 3-pointers.
Nesmith answered with a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, and the third-year forward provided the final points when he went to the foul line with 9.6 seconds left.
The Pacers escaped with the victory after Wagner missed a shot near the basket with 5.1 seconds left. Bamba got the rebound but his tip-in attempt fell short.
Indiana started slow for the second straight night and trailed by as many as 11 in the first quarter. The Pacers trailed 28-22 after Bennedict Mathurin hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Mathurin finished with 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting.
Orlando’s size continued to cause problems for Indiana in the second quarter. Bamba had 13 points in the half for the Magic, which took a 55-51 lead into the break after Haliburton made a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The Pacers took their first lead of the game at 79-77 when Smith scored with 3:39 left in the third quarter. Indiana ended the third quarter with an 89-84 advantage after shooting 15 of 22 (68.2 percent) for the period.
Orlando played without forward Paolo Banchero, who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
–Field Level Media