Paolo Banchero clutch for Magic as Pacers’ skid hits 10 straight

Paolo Banchero scored a go-ahead layup with 7.5 seconds left on Wednesday afternoon, helping the visiting Orlando Magic earn a 112-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianpolis.

Banchero scored a game-high 29 points, adding 10 rebounds for the Magic, which allowed just 15 Indiana points in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane added 18 points, while Anthony Black chipped in 15 and Goga Bitadze finished with 14. Jamal Cain and Jalen Suggs scored 11 apiece in the win.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 26 points, followed by Bennedict Mathurin’s 23 and Andrew Nembhard’s 19. Reserve Ben Sheppard scored 12 points and Aaron Nesmith tallied nine points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who lost their 10th straight game.

Trailing by a pair at halftime, Indiana opened the third quarter on a 16-8 run, taking an 82-76 lead on Mathurin’s free throws with 7:28 remaining.

After Jarace Walker’s 3-pointer put the Pacers ahead by eight, Banchero’s jumper and Bitadze’s dunk were followed with Tyus Jones’ layup, pulling the visitors within two. The Pacers led 95-94 entering the fourth.

Orlando began the fourth on an 8-2 run, holding Indiana without a field goal until Nembhard’s layup at the 6:12 mark.

With the game tied at 106, Bane and Nembhard traded baskets with just under three minutes remaining. Neither team scored again until Bane’s layup with 1:13 left gave the Magic a 110-108 lead.

Mathurin tied the game with a pair of free throws with 29 seconds remaining. Banchero then muscled in a layup and was fouled by Nesmith to give the Magic a two-point edge.

After Banchero missed the free throw, Nesmith’s 3-pointer rimmed out, sealing Orlando’s win.

Sheppard’s 3-pointer cut Indiana’s deficit to 31-28 entering the second quarter, then baskets by Micah Potter and Walker gave the Pacers their first lead of the game with 11:24 left in the first half.

Banchero cut Orlando’s deficit to 43-41, before Sheppard’s layup began a 5-0 run to push the Pacers’ lead to seven.

Trailing by six, Orlando’s 13-0 run was stamped with Cain’s layup and triple to give the Magic a 60-53 lead. Cain later hit a pair of free throws with 6 seconds left to give Orlando a 68-66 halftime advantage.