ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic still can’t solve the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers used a 41-point third-quarter blitz to pull away from the Magic and roll to a 131-112 victory Sunday night before an announced crowd of 3,519 at Amway Center.
With the victory, Indiana (29-31) sweeps the three-game season series with Orlando and now has won 11 of the past 13 games between the teams at Amway. The Pacers also have won the past six regular-season meetings.
The Magic, meanwhile, lost their fifth straight overall and fell to 18-42 as they played without head coach Steve Clifford and lost guard Devin Cannady to a leg injury early in the game.
Clifford is in the league’s health and safety protocols following a positive COVID-19 test. A lengthy stay in the protocols for Clifford would cause him to miss a big chunk of the Magic’s remaining 12 games.
Even if Clifford only misses a week, he’ll be out for five games. Following Sunday’s game, the Magic host the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, then play in Cleveland on Wednesday and in Memphis on Friday before returning to Amway Center to face the Grizzlies again Saturday.
The Magic hadn’t played a quarter when they saw another teammate go down with a season-ending injury.
Cannady contested a layup attempt by Pacers forward Edmond Sumner and appeared to land awkwardly on his right leg with 3:09 left in the first quarter. Magic center Mo Bamba immediately took off his jersey and covered Cannady’s leg before the team training staff and medical personnel began tending to Cannady.
Cannady gave a thumb’s-up and applauded to show his appreciation for the support he received from the fans, players, coaches and staff as he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher. Cannady was later diagnosed with an open fracture of his right ankle that will require surgery.
Dwayne Bacon scored 20 points and Bamba had 17 for Orlando, which had its last lead at 11-10.
The Pacers put seven players in double figures, led by Malcolm Brogdon’s 24 points. Sumner finished with 21 and Justin Holiday had 20, including six 3-pointers, for Indiana.
The Magic, who trailed by six when Cannady was injured, fell behind by 14 before shaking off the effects of seeing their teammate go down and began to peel away their deficit.
The Magic used a 14-4 run over a 2:57 stretch to pull within 39-35 early in the second quarter.
The teams traded a series of runs, with Orlando getting the last big one with a 20-7 burst that pulled them within two just before halftime.
Orlando’s shooting struggles, however, helped fuel Indiana’s offensive pace in the third quarter when the Pacers used a 24-8 run over a 5:04 stretch to seize control.
Indiana shot 66.7% (14-of-21), including 62.5% (5-of-8) from the 3-point line, as it outscored Orlando 41-20 in the quarter to build a 103-77 advantage.
The Magic, meanwhile, were 6-of-16 (37.5%) overall and 1-of-9 (11.1%) from behind the arc in the quarter. They also were just 6-of-16 (37.5%) on shots in the paint.
Wendell Carter Jr. returned to the starting lineup Sunday after missing Thursday’s game against the Pelicans with a sore ankle. He finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes.
The Magic, however, played without Terrence Ross (back spasms), James Ennis (calf soreness), Michael Carter-Williams (sprained ankle) and Otto Porter Jr. (foot pain).
The Magic did not have to face Pacers’ All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, who sat out due to a sore lower back.
