Fournier’s clutch 3-pointer caps 4th-quarter comeback for victory
INDIANAPOLIS — The Orlando Magic solved the Indiana Pacers defense just fine, especially in the fourth quarter, and made their first trip this season to Bankers Life Fieldhouse a memorable one.
Nikola Vucevic finished with a game-high 27 points and Terrence Ross added 23 as the Magic rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 117-112 on Saturday night.
Evan Fournier, who missed Friday’s practice while dealing with a stomach issue, sealed the win with a 3-pointer over Bojan Bogdanovic with 8.4 seconds left. Fournier finished with 19 points — one of five Magic players in double figures — and eight assists.
The Magic shot 50.5 percent from the field against a Pacers team that allows an NBA-low 103.6 points a game.
Ross scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Magic outscored the Pacers 34-25 to erase a 10-point third-quarter deficit. His three-point play gave the Magic a 100-98 lead they never relinquished, and Ross later threw down a thunderous onehanded dunk to make the score 109-102.
The Magic are 2-1 against the Pacers (41-23) this season. Their Jan. 31 victory in Orlando snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Pacers.
Bogdanovic finished with 25 points and Darren Collison had 23 for the Pacers, who led 72-62 early in the third quarter.
The Magic (30-34) moved back into a tie with the Charlotte Hornets (29-33) for eighth in the Eastern Conference and remained 1 1⁄2 games behind the seventh-place Detroit Pistons (30-31), who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-93.
The Hornets were idle Saturday.