The Neighborhood Bully 266 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 The Pacers (28-34) bring their five-game winning streak back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night, kicking off a four-game homestand by hosting the Orlando Magic (21-43). It is the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. Indiana won at home on Nov. 28 and then eked out a win in Orlando on Jan. 25. The Pacers, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, remain the hottest team in the NBA. The Pacers have been especially strong lately on the defensive end. Indiana has held its opponents to 86 points or fewer and under 40-percent shooting in every game during their current winning streak. Though not every win has come easy, the Pacers are closing out games as well as they have all season. They pulled away from the Bulls in the fourth quarter on Friday night, then rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final period to squeak out a win at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Orlando is a young and inexperienced team, featuring 11 players on its roster with three years or less of NBA experience entering this season. The Magic fired head coach Jacque Vaughn after a 10-game losing streak pushed the team's record to 15-37. Since interim coach James Borrego took over, the Magic are a respectable 6-6, including a win over Boston on Sunday night. The Magic's young trio of center Nikola Vučević, small forward Tobias Harris, and shooting guard Victor Oladipo do most of the heavy lifting offensively. Those three combine to average 54.1 points and 21.8 rebounds per game. Projected Starters George Hill C.J. Miles Solomon Hill David West Roy Hibbert Elfrid Payton Victor Oladipo Tobias Harris Dewayne Dedmon Nikola Vučević Hardwood Classics Night As part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics program, the Pacers will be wearing their iconic Flo-Jo jerseys on Tuesday. Tuesday's game will be the fourth of six contests in which the Pacers will wear the jerseys, which they originally wore from 1990-97, this season. Flo-Jo Photo Galleries, Highlights, and More » Injury Report Pacers: Paul George - out (rehabilitation for broken right leg)Magic: Evan Fournier – questionable (sore right hip), Willie Green – questionable (sore right Achilles), Devyn Marble – out (detached retina, left eye), Luke Ridnour – questionable (strained right hamstring), Nikola Vučević – questionable (sore left ankle) You Can Quote Me On That "I like the grit and toughness that we're playing with. There's about three or four possessions every game where we just overwhelm the other team with effort, ripping a loose ball away from somebody or outworking somebody for a loose ball. We're just playing extremely hard." -Pacers head coach Frank Vogel "This is what we do. Playing defense is always going to be our calling card. We might not have the best offensive nights like (on Saturday night) in New York, but as long as we can get stops, that can be the difference." -Pacers forward Solomon Hill "We've been really focusing on the defensive end, guarding pick-and-rolls with just two guys and staying home with shooters. Coach has really focused on that and he's challenged us to limit teams to only 40 percent (shooting). We've taken that to heart." -Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey "He's really improving as a basketball player. He's shooting the ball well from the perimeter. (He's in) constant attack mode." -Vogel on Magic guard and former Indiana University All-American Victor Oladipo "They're tough. Obviously, they play small some with stretch 4's. And they've got Vučević inside and Oladipo on the wing. We've got our work cut out for us. Our defense is going to have to carry us." -Pacers forward David West on the Magic Last Meeting January 25, 2015: Damjan Rudež scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Pacers to a 106-99 win in Orlando that snapped a seven-game losing streak. Rudež finished with 18 points in the game, going 4-for-7 from 3-point range, and five other Pacers players scored in double figures. David West scored a team-high 20 points, George Hill added 17 points and six assists. Roy Hibbert recorded a double-double, while Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Watson combined for 26 points. Magic center Nikola Vučević led all scorers with 27 points and seven rebounds. Victor Oladipo added 18 for Orlando. Noteworthy Indiana is looking to sweep the regular season series with Orlando for the first time since the 2005-06 season. The Pacers lead the overall series with the Magic 49-45, including a 30-17 advantage at home. George Hill needs to make four more free throws to reach 1,000 makes from the charity stripe in his career http://www.nba.com/p...rs-magic-150310 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~O~ 565 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Does it seem to anyone that Tobias is flustered in a way by Victor's success? Victor isn't in a contract year but he's delivering almost effortlessly. Tobias has been on a struggle with his constant nagging injuries. Tobias Harris is of course in a contract year. I believe he won't get the money he wants when its all said and done. His injuries and struggles have overall brought his value down. Its probably worsened since we're the fifth worst in the league and Tobias Aaron Gordon's ceiling is better. Still, New York will overpay because they are masochists with a delusional infatuation of drowning in debt from perennially undeserved contracts. Lakers will probably pay because they still believe they can get around building a team from drafts like the NBA allowed them to. Or they'll overpay just to bend Hennigan. --------------------- On tonight's game.....I really want to win..but we're the fifth worst team in the NBA. Do we really want to ruin our chances anymore in an inevitable draft situation? The Magic already ruined their chances with that stint of 20 to 30 games of basketball that everyone here wants to forget. They may as well try to get some ping pong balls. We need as much leverage as possible with this draft. Its not about who we pick...its the leverage of a higher pick that's important. The more flexibility, the better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mauro Pedrosa 1,031 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 The fact that Indiana is a playoff team right now is mind blowing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~O~ 565 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Ok.....I'm tired of Rodney Stuckey. I want the Magic to win. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Passenger57 65 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Please don't let this be the Rodney Stuckey, Magic Killer show... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjgator 164 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Please don't let this be the Rodney Stuckey, Magic Killer show... I've got 50 cent saying it won't be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjgator 164 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 I hate Frye. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Franchero MVP 391 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Get this horrible JV line up out of here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Franchero MVP 391 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Lol Stuckey has 25 pts before the half Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Franchero MVP 391 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Sloppy as hell harris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Franchero MVP 391 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 Vuc putting on a clinic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fultz4thewin 2,464 Report post Posted March 10, 2015 I think we'll be ok. Typically teams won't hit 10 threes in each half Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
