When the Magic escaped Indiana last Wednesday on the road, Orlando needed a layup from Paolo Banchero with 7.5 seconds left in the contest to finish on top of the Pacers with a 2-point win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Late-game heroics were needed once again game when the sides met at Kia Center for a Sunday matinee.
Desmond Bane (31 points), Paolo Banchero (28) and Anthony Black (27) combined for 86 when Orlando outlasted Indiana, 135-127, in a high-scoring affair that saw both sides lead by as many as 12 points.
With the Magic leading by 3 points with 1:10 left in the game, Tristan da Silva (10) drilled a 3-pointer to put Orlando ahead by six and Wendell Carter Jr. (18) flushed down a drive to extend its lead to eight with 17.6 seconds left.
Jamahl Mosley’s squad turned defense into offense when it scored 18 points off 11 Indiana turnovers while finishing with a 60-50 advantage in the paint.
Although Pascal Siakam notched 34 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 37 minutes, the loss was the 12th in a row for Indiana (6-30).
The Magic (20-16) aren’t home long when they head to Washington on Tuesday and travel to Brooklyn the next night.
Starting 5
Black returned to the starting lineup after Jalen Suggs suffered a right knee Grade 1 MCL contusion Friday at Chicago, and the third-year guard boosted Orlando’s offense early.
In the first quarter alone, Black scored 13 points by hitting from 3-point range (2 for 4) and getting to the free throw line (5 for 5) when he ended with 20-plus for the 11th time this season.
He started alongside Bane, Banchero, Tristan da Silva and Wendell Carter Jr. against the Pacers.
Bane and Banchero got in on the action during the second quarter when they both had 11 points at the break after each scoring nine in the second frame.
Bane shot the ball well when he knocked two 3-pointers in the third quarter while recording six rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Sunday’s game marked the fifth Bane has scored 30-plus points this season.
Carter notched his sixth double-double of the season when he added 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Banchero added 12 rebounds for his team-leading ninth double-double.
Second-quarter swing
The Magic trailed by 12 points early in the second frame before they went on a 17-0 run to outscore Indiana 41-22 in the quarter.
Orlando shot 72.2% from the floor and 11 for 14 at the free throw line in the second quarter while it held the Pacers to 30.4% shooting and only gave up 3 free throws.
It marked the sixth time this season the Magic have scored 40-plus points in a quarter.
Rookie watch
First-round pick Jase Richardson entered halfway through the first quarter and was a big reason for Orlando’s scoring surge in the second frame.
The No. 25 pick scored all seven of his first-half points in the second quarter by hitting all three of his shots from floor, including a corner triple near the end of the shot clock, during the frame.
He drained his second triple late in the third quarter when he ended with 12 points and four assists in 27 minutes.
Banchero meets Bonta
Prior to Sunday’s game, Banchero met with Blake Bonta, a 12-year-old from Iowa who’s been battling brain cancer since January 2023.
Bonta, who is now in the recovery stage, has helped raised over $100,000 for pediatric brain cancer research while going through treatments.
“Just want to wish you the best,” Banchero said in a video message sent to Bonta when he invited him to the game. “Stay strong.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com