:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1685615/20121019turkoglupacers_kimklementuspw.0.jpg)
Friday evening, and for the first time in nearly six months, the Orlando Magic won a game.
Led by Glen Davis' 21 points, the hot-shooting Magic cruised past the Indiana Pacers, 112-96, to pick up their first victory of the preseason. Indiana, which played without combo guard George Hill and forward Danny Granger, shot just 40.4 percent in defeat, whereas Orlando converted 54.9 percent of its shots from the floor and had six players score in double-figures.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 99.0 | 97.0 | 41.6% | 24.7 | 25.0 | 15.2 |
| Magic | 99.0 | 113.2 | 57.9% | 20.7 | 23.5 | 17.2 |
| Green denotes a stat better than the team's 2011/12 average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's 2011/12 average. | ||||||
For the first time this preseason, Davis started at center as coach Jacque Vaughn experimented with his lineup, inserting Josh McRoberts at Davis' usual power-forward slot. The move shifted Nikola Vučević and Gustavo Ayón to the bench, and paid dividends.
Of particular note for Orlando is that it dominated the paint despite the presence of All-Star center Roy Hibbert. The 7-footer from Georgetown notched 10 points and four rebounds in his 22 minutes, but Orlando nonetheless outrebounded the Pacers, 44-38, and outscored the visitors by a 62-40 margin in the painted area.
Orlando moved the ball exceptionally well, with the starting backcourt of J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson accounting for 15 of the team's 30 assists, which came on 45 baskets. Turnovers continue to bedevil Vaughn's club--the team committed 17 in all, with Redick, Nelson and Turkoglu committing three apiece--but the high percentage of assisted baskets nonetheless must please the first-year head coach.
The Magic also got production off the bench, with the reserve backcourt of E'Twaun Moore and DeQuan Jones combining for 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Rookie forward Andrew Nicholson scored 13 points of his own in just 16 minutes, though he did need 12 shot attempts to get those numbers.
We invite you to follow Orlando Pinstriped Post on Twitter and like Orlando Pinstriped Post on Facebook.