By Kyle Soppe
The Pacers fell victim to the “good” Magic on Sunday night, as they fell 107-94 to Orlando.
It was the odd numbered quarters that doomed the visitors, as the lost the first and third by a combined 27 points, but won the even quarters by 15 points.
In typical Magic fashion, Orlando was +27 from deep and -22 from inside the three point line. No wonder Dwight Howard wants a fresh start somewhere else, he gets his offensive touches from rebounds.
Speaking of Superman, Howard scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. It is the third time Howard has tallied at least 30 points this month, after doing so only twice from December through February.His five assists (good for second most in the game) were a season high, as he is adapting to kicking it out to a waiting three point shooter.
For the third time in five games, Howard missed more free throws than field goals.
Can you recall a players game who has changed more from college to the pros than J.J. Redick? One of the best scorers in college history is still an efficient scorer, but is on the court for his consistent play and tenacity on defense. He recorded a career high nine dimes last night and didn’t turn the ball over once. The Duke product played 30+ minutes for the 12th time this season, and his Magic have won nine of those games.
I have as much faith in Danny Granger as the next guy, but are we seeing a changing of the guard when it comes to Indian’s most feared offensive option? Paul George continued his breakout season by leading the team in points (22), offensive rebounds (2), defensive rebounds (6), three pointers made (1), and steals (3). The 6’8″ swing man has produced at both ends all season and has seen a dramatic increase in all statistical categories from his rookie season. George has guard like skills (21 steals over his last six games) for a big guy, and is exactly the type of hybrid player that teams are built around.
Granger continued his season long struggle, as he shot under 50% for the 20th time in 21 games. He has made just 4/22 three pointers over the week, and doesn’t appear to be comfortable in Indiana’s offense. Granger’s current per game averages in points, rebounds, assists, thee point percentage, and field goal percentage are all his lowest of the last five seasons.
While it had to kill him seeing a Duke grad do his thing for Orlando, Tyler Hansbrough had himself an effective afternoon. He led the Pacers in plus/minus ratio (+5) and scored 19 points (his second highest output of the season). The Tar Heel hasn’t missed a free throw in March.
The Pacers unknowingly developed a blueprint for how to lose to Orlando every single time: shoot under 9% from deep and have Roy Hibbert guard Dwight Howard. I’ll argue that having just one of those will guarantee a loss, but with both in play last night, the Pacers simply had no chance.
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