Indiana Pacers vs Orlando Magic Prediction: Orlando to put up a fight

The Pacers have won 6 of their 9 faceoffs against the Magic in the last 3 years, and Indiana is considered the clear favorite to win this game. Will Orlando be able to do something against the home team?

After the first games of the season it seemed that Indiana has nothing to offer, but in the last 6 games they won 5 games and climbed to the 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Losing Chris Duarte, who is being replaced in the starting five by rookie Andrew Nembhard, hasn't hurt either. Of course, the Pacers haven't always beaten serious opponents: Toronto and Charlotte have been weakened, while Houston is an outsider in the West. New Orleans and Miami were among the defeated, however, and before that there were victories over Brooklyn and Washington, so Indiana looks competitive overall. Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin are dragging the team offensively, averaging 18+ points.

Haliburton, though, was injured last game, his absence could really hurt the Pacers. Tyrese scored 19 points and had 8 assists against Houston, and Indiana won 99-91. Hield had a poor shot from beyond the arc this time with only 3 of his 13 long-range attempts successful. Neither was Mathurin, and the Pacers' most effective reserve on the night was Oshae Brissett, who hit 4 three-pointers. Myles Turner and Jalen Smith played good defense under the basket, making 7 total blocks, and Rick Carlisle's men didn't allow their opponents to get going at the arc.

The Magic still can't get their best players on the floor, which is why they can't manage to climb past 13th place in the Eastern Conference. Paolo Banchero will miss about another week, Cole Anthony has begun practice but is unlikely to play, and Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner also remain out. The good thing is that at least Wendell Carter Jr. is back in action, and Gary Harris is finally making his season debut.

That said, despite all of Orlando's troubles, they've won two of their last five regular season games. The day before Jamahl Mosley's team defeated Chicago, 108-107. Three Magic players scored 20+ points: Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner reached the cherished mark. The reserves shot well from beyond the arc, with Mo Bamba in particular impressing with 4 three-pointers made. Suggs had no shots on the night, but it was his three-pointer in the end that won the Magic the game.

Indiana had a very good start, but their defensive woes continued. The Pacers concede quite a bit from beyond the arc, and it will not be easy to defend against the big men shooting for Orlando. If Haliburton's injury is serious, the home team will be without its star playmaker and Andrew Nembhardt certainly won't be a viable replacement. The Magic have shown a lot of quality defensive play this season, and with the return of Gary Harris their potential has only increased. Even taking into account the absence of Paolo Banchero, we cannot say that the visitors are that much inferior to the Pacers in terms of their skill-set. Our prediction for the Indiana-Orlando game is as follows:

• H2 (+6.5) for 1.898;
• TU (229.5) for 1.75;
• W2 (incl. OT) for 2.90.

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