Indiana Pacers’ Monta Ellis, right, moves to the basket past Orlando Magic’s D.J. Augustin during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
ORLANDO, Florida—C.J. Miles scored 16 points, Glenn Robinson III added 14 and the Indiana Pacers held on to beat the Orlando Magic 98-88 on Wednesday night.
The Pacers used their smaller lineup and timely 3-point shooting to keep the struggling Magic from rallying. Orlando didn’t have an answer for Miles’ 3-point shooting, including a trey that pushed the lead to 96-88 in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. Orlando moved within five points a few times in the final period but could not come any closer.
Jeff Teague had 13 points and nine assists and was 8 for 9 from the free-throw line to join six Pacers in double figures. Serge Ibaka led five Magic players in double figures with 20 points.
The Pacers have defeated their former coach Frank Vogel four straight times this season and look like a team on the rise. They have won four straight to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff mix.
Orlando, meanwhile, is letting its playoff hopes fade fast with its second straight loss and fifth in its last six games. The Magic slipped to 8-16 at Amway Center.
After trailing by nine points at halftime, the Magic picked up their defense and played with more patience offensively in the third quarter as they pulled within four points late in quarter on a 3-pointer by C.J. Watson. Indiana was able to stretch back out to an 80-74 advantage when Rodney Stuckey converted a jumper in the waning moments of the third.
The Pacers took advantage of their smaller lineup to create mismatches during the first half to take a 56-47 lead into halftime. Indiana, which led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, used its speed and quickness advantage, especially at the power forward spot to keep Orlando on its heels during the opening two quarters.
Thaddeus Young and reserve Lavoy Allen combined for 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first half as Orlando’s big three of Serge Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo struggled to guard them on the perimeter.
Teague also proved to be a tough matchup for the Magic guards as he consistently beat them off the dribble to draw fouls. He was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line and led the Pacers with 11 points while Paul George had seven points in the first half and finished with eight.