Orlando Magic Team Report - November 25

(Basketball News) - The Orlando Magic continued their nightmare season Monday, losing to the Indiana Pacers, 89-78, at TD Waterhouse Centre.

Juwan Howard led the Magic with 17 points. Orlando played without star Tracy McGrady, who did not dress due to a case of the flu. Gordan Giricek, Tyronn Lue and Donnell Harvey each posted 13 points in the losing cause.

The Magic, who have dropped 13 in a row, are still winless since their opening-night triumph and have not posted a victory in three games under new head coach Johnny Davis, who took over after Doc Rivers was fired last week.

A tightly-contested opening quarter saw the teams knotted at 20 apiece.

The Magic surged in the first three minutes of the second period, courtesy of an 8-0 run, to take a 28-20 lead. Indiana slowly chipped away, however, and a Reggie Miller layup with 3:20 to go in the half evened the contest at 34-34. In the final minute, Miller connected from three-point range to stake the Pacers to a 48-40 lead, but Giricek’s three-point play cut the Magic deficit to five as the teams went into the break with Indiana leading, 48-43.

Ron Artest put up eight points in the third quarter, including a layup that saw the visitors push their lead to 59-50 with just over 4:30 to go in the frame. Orlando was able to stay with the Pacers, though, as a Drew Gooden bucket with under a minute to go capped the third-quarter scoring and the Magic were within single digits, 65-56, as the fourth quarter began.

Indiana scored 12 of the first 19 points in the fourth quarter, though, and increased its lead to 77-63 when Jermaine O’Neal made a free throw. The Pacers did not let up and cruised to victory.

Orlando, which came off an 0-5 road trip, is winless at home this season (0-7).

The Magic are off until Wednesday when they host Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics.