With the Magic already locked into the No. 7 spot in the East and set to host an NBA play-in tournament game at Kia Center on Tuesday, there wasn’t much to play for Friday night against the Pacers.
That didn’t matter for Orlando‘s reserves who got to start and play significant minutes on the road.
The Magic had no problem scoring from all over the court, capturing a 129-115 victory behind a combined 63 points from Anthony Black (21), Jett Howard (17) and two-way guard Trevelin Queen (25).
Earlier in the day, the Magic ruled out regulars Paolo Banchero (right ankle soreness), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left knee strain), Wendell Carter Jr. (right hip contusion) and Franz Wagner (right knee soreness), but made veteran backup guard Cory Joseph (left knee soreness) available.
The Pacers (49-32), the No. 4 team in the East who beat the No. 1 Cavaliers by two points less than 24 hours earlier, followed suit as starters Tyrese Haliburton (lower back injury management), Pascal Siakam (right elbow injury management), Myles Turner (right knee injury management), Andrew Nembhard (left thumb laceration) and Aaron Nesmith (rest) didn’t play.
Eight of Orlando’s available players reached double figures when the group scored 29 points off 20 Indiana turnovers.
They led by as many as 35 points for their fifth straight win, which is significant because it locks in at least a .500 season for Orlando, which battled major injuries throughout the year.
No. 7 Orlando (41-40) wraps up the regular season Sunday at No. 8 Atlanta, who they’ll host Tuesday in the play-in game in hopes of clinching the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
Second-quarter surge
The score was tied at 29 following the first quarter.
Then came Queen, who scored 13 of his 16 first-half points in the second, when he hit a trio of triples in nine minutes.
Howard added a pair of 3-pointers as well and Black shot 5 of 7 in the quarter as the Magic outscored the Pacers 43-20.
That tied a franchise record for most points scored in a second quarter. It also marked a season high for any quarter.
Queen showcase
The two-way guard hit his first five shots from beyond the arc.
His scoring set a career high for Queen, who made his 31st appearance this season.
And it wasn’t just on the offensive end where he made his mark. Queen added five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 29 minutes.
Isaac’s bonus
Forward Jonathan Isaac made his 70th appearance of the season which secured him a $2.6 million bonus.
It marks just the second time in his injury-riddled career that he’s played at least 70 games.
Isaac racked up 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in 19 minutes.
Rookie watch
Tristan Da Silva, the No. 18 pick, earned the start alongside Joseph, Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan and Goga Bitadze.
Da Silva missed all three of his long-range attempts but still finished with 14 points in 34 minutes.
Making his 37th start, he added three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
