Pacers defeat Magic in Game 2
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Unlike Game 1, the Indiana Pacers had no trouble closing out the Orlando Magic on Monday.
Danny Granger, David West and George Hill all netted 18 points and an elongated run in the early stages of the third quarter helped the Pacers down the Magic, 93-78, in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Paul George added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Roy Hibbert finished with 13 boards for Indiana, which evened the best-of-seven series 1-1 with Game 3 slated for Wednesday in Orlando.
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Glen Davis had 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Magic, who shot just 35.5 percent from the floor.
"A gutsy type of playoff win," Indiana head coach Frank Vogel said. "Holding them to 35 percent shooting is a very strong effort. They're a challenging team to guard."
Trailing 50-45 early in the third quarter, the Pacers surged ahead following an extended 25-5 burst. Using it's size and length on the interior, Indiana outrebounded Orlando 14-0 during the stretch.
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Hill, who had nine points during the run, capped it with a pair of free throws, giving Indiana a 70-55 advantage before heading into the final frame with a 72-57 lead.
"Our starters our coming out with nothing in the third quarter," Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy said of his team's effort in the third stanza. "...They dominated us on the glass."
On Saturday, Orlando netted the game's final 11 points and prevented Indiana from scoring in the final 4:05 to steal the contest, 81-77.
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A personal 6-0 Jameer Nelson spurt brought the visitors within 83-72 with 4:20 remaining, but contrary to Game 1, the Pacers had the answer.
Two Hill free throws followed by West's running hook shot put Indiana back ahead by 15, putting the game out of reach.
Earlier, the Pacers stormed out of the gate, scoring on nine of their first 11 possessions. Hill's coast-to-coast layup made it 18-7 in favor of Indiana midway through the opening frame.
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Orlando, which trailed, 24-21, after a quarter of play, took a 44-42 edge into the locker room. Davis paced the Magic with 14 points and eight boards -- six of which were offensive.
Game Notes
The Pacers outrebounded the Magic 46-38...Orlando nailed 8-of-25 from beyond the arc, while Indiana was just 2-of-20...West added 11 rebounds...Indiana held a 50-28 points in the paint advantage.