Pacers aim for home win vs. Magic

If the Pacers win tonight against the Magic, they will clinch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Indiana and Chicago are currently tied for No. 6 and trail Washington by one game for the fifth spot.

The Pacers have won four of their last five games, including Monday’s 120-95 win over the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.

Peja Stojakovic scored 27 points and Anthony Johnson scored 22 points and dished nine assists for Indiana. Stephen Jackson netted 21 points, while Jermaine O’Neal added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Indiana will now return home against Orlando and has won four straight at Conseco Fieldhouse this season. The Pacers, who ended the regular season with a 14-27 road mark, are 26-14 as the host in 2005-06.

In the 2005-06 season series with the Magic, Indiana leads by a 2-0 count and has won three of four and five of the last eight meetings.

Orlando, though, has won four of its last six trips to Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Magic had their eight-game overall winning streak come to an end in Monday’s 116-112 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Hedo Turkoglu tied a career-high with 32 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Magic, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson added 15 points and seven assists, but also had seven turnovers before fouling out.

Friday’s game in Indiana is the final contest of the season for Orlando, which is 4-1 in its last five road games. The Magic ended with a 26-15 home record this season and are just 10-30 away from TD Waterhouse Centre this season.