Pacers try to recoup against the Orlando Magic
Despite a tough loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday, the Indiana Pacers will fight through injury trouble to take on the Orlando Magic tonight.
WHO: Indiana Pacers (3-4) v. Orlando Magic (3-4)
WHEN: Tonight, 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT
WHERE: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
TV: Fox Sports Indiana
RADIO: 1070 the Fan
STREAM: Fox Sports GO and on the FSGO app
The Pacers
Questionable: C.J. Miles (sore right ankle); Rodney Stuckey (right ankle sprain)
Losing in Cleveland to the Cavaliers wasn’t exactly the plan yesterday when Paul George and company took to Quicken Loans Arena, now the home of LeBron James and a couple of other notable free agents.
Unfortunately, losing was the way things went in the 101-97 Sunday afternoon game. However, George made note of his return against the MVP of seasons past and dropped another 32 points and 11 boards, his third straight game of 30/10 or more. Additionally, Indiana finally saw the good side of Monta Ellis in his 25 point game on 10-17 shooting, and it looked like once comfortable in his shot selection it was only a matter of time before Ellis started hitting, in this case from the elbow in a cushiony mid-range area.
Tonight, though, will be about limiting guard play just as it was against the Boston Celtics last week. The Pacers had trouble limiting the impact of Kevin Love and LeBron James, but can they stop the rising duo of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo in Scott Skiles‘s lineup?
The Magic
Out: Nikola Vucevic (sprained knee); Jason Smith (soreness)
Not off the best start possible, the Magic sit right with Indiana at 3-4 after losses to the Wizards, Thunder, Bulls, and Rockets, but wins over New Orleans, Toronto and Philadelphia.
The Pacers met the Magic in pre-season and were victorious then, but Skiles has tweaked his line-up slightly and, though not an entirely different Orlando team will show up to BLF, they will resemble a completed team even without Vucevic.
Evan Fournier leads the team in scoring with 18.7 points per game, but Indiana University standout Victor Oladipo is making his presence known starting his third year in the league and has dazzled more than a few, especially in building a comeback against the Thunder.
Next: Purdue takes steps back against Illinois
Tonight won’t be easy for either side, but George Hill and Paul George will need to be on their best defensively unless Ellis is on Oladipo, in which case the free agent will be called on more defensively than ever through the opening part of the season. Tipoff set for 7 pm in Indianapolis.