ORLANDO, FLA. Through two games of their opening-round playoff series, the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have both had moments to laud and lament.

Minus Dwight Howard, the Magic owned the underdog tag and successfully stole home-court advantage with a win in Game 1. Then the Pacers were able to brush off a woeful finish in that loss, regroup, and use all their personnel advantages down the stretch to blow past the Magic in Game 2 on Monday.

The question now is who has established their early post-season identity more as the series shifts to Orlando on Wednesday for Game 3?

“Obviously we want to go back home and play off the momentum of the crowd and just play better than we did (Monday),” Magic forward Ryan Anderson said after the 93-78 Game 2 loss. “We know that we can play better than this and play harder than this.”

While Anderson and the Magic are certainly hoping to get an energy boost from an Amway Center crowd still reeling after last season’s first-round exit, conditioning will certainly be a factor for both teams with just one day to rest.

Indiana trailed at the half for the second straight game before getting that boost in the second half that coach Frank Vogel said would be a necessity in this series. It came at a cost, though, with Pacers starters Danny Granger and David West both logging over 40 minutes. They averaged 33 and 29 minutes per game, respectively, during the regular season.

Both teams took it easy Tuesday, with the Magic taking the day off and the Pacers holding only a light practice in Indianapolis before boarding a plane to Florida.

After five games against each other this season, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of mystery left to uncover.

The strategy is the same as it was when the series began: The Magic need to shoot the ball well and run the floor to negate the Pacers’ size advantage. Meanwhile, Indiana wants to resist the urge to get in a shootout with Orlando, while pounding the ball inside and running the Magic off the 3-point stripe.

Game 2 was mission accomplished for the Pacers, holding the Magic to just 8 for 25 from beyond the arc, and frustrating them inside with a 50-28 edge in points in the paint. Indiana also outrebounded Orlando 46-38.

“It’s all about who wants it more,” Pacers guard Paul George said. “We look at it as a 50-50 ball and the man that wants that ball more is going to go after and go get it. We wanted to make sure we got as many 50-50 balls as we can.”

Granger had 18 points, but struggled to shoot the ball, going 7 for 21 from the field and just 1 for 10 from 3. The bigger numbers, though, were what he did defending Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu. He was held to just 10 points, two assists and one rebound.

Anderson, who the Magic are depending on to produce offensively with Howard out for the season following back surgery, went just 3 for 9 from the field. It followed an equally quiet five-point effort in Game 1 for the candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.

Granger said their effort underneath starts with how West is playing.

“They don’t have an answer for David West in this series,” Granger said. “We knew our bigs would be a huge advantage for us. We’ve just been riding that. When David gets going, it’s hard to stop him.”

West hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2009 with New Orleans, but Vogel said West’s experience is a huge factor in his play to this point. For his career West is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds in the post-season.

“He’s providing our team with the necessary swagger to get a playoff win,” Vogel said. “He’s just dialled in. He is a playoff-tested veteran.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said it’s not so much the players who are scoring the Pacers’ points, but how they are doing it.

“We can’t give up 22 fast-break points, 25 second-chance points and have 16 turnovers,” he said. “I mean, it gets back to very basic things and we’re not going to have a chance to win if we do that.”

The promising news in the Magic closing the rebounding and second-chance scoring gap is that with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Glen “Big Baby” Davis maintained his consistency in Game 2 playing as an undersized centre.

New roles or situation aside, Davis said there continues to be a no-excuse mentality throughout the Magic locker-room.

“It’s the playoffs, we got to go. We have to find it and regroup,” Davis said. “We’re going home and we’re just tired … I think we have to find our niche out there and get guys the ball at the right time.”

AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Ryan Anderson (F – ORL), Mike Dunleavy (G – IND), Hedo Turkoglu (F – ORL), Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic

Orlando, FL (Sports Network) – Dwight Howard scored 13 points with 13 rebounds as the Orlando Magic capped their regular season schedule with a 92-74 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers at Amway Arena.

Howard recorded his double-double while playing just over 26 minutes in the win, Orlando’s fourth in five games. Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 while Ryan Anderson posted 14 points and seven boards in a reserve role.

The Magic capped their regular season with a 52-30 record and will enter the playoffs with the Eastern Conference’s fourth-seed.

“You tend to have room to make mistakes in the regular season,” said Howard. “But in the playoffs, if you make a mistake it can cost you a game which can then cost you a series.”

Orlando will face the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs for the third time in club history starting on Saturday in Orlando. The Magic handled the Hawks in the conference semifinals last season, sweeping the series 4-0. Orlando continued its success in 2010-11, winning 50- plus games for the fourth straight season.

Brandon Rush and Mike Dunleavy both scored 16 points in reserve roles for the Pacers, who dropped their final two games of the regular season. Indiana will head into the playoffs finishing the season with a 37-45 record.

“It’s a tall task but our guys are playing their best basketball of the season right now,” said Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. “We look forward to the task that we have ahead of us.”

The Pacers will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, earning the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seed and garnering the dubious honor of taking on one of the hottest teams, the Chicago Bulls beginning on Saturday in the Windy City. The only time these teams have met in the playoffs was in the Eastern Conference finals in 1997-98, as the Bulls topped the Pacers 4-3, moving on to win their final NBA Championship in the Michael Jordan-era and their sixth in eight years.

Orlando took the lead from the opening tip. Anderson scored 11 of his points on 4-of-4 from the field as the Magic held a 28-14 lead after one. Orlando held the Pacers to only 15 points in the second, taking a 53-29 lead into the break.

Dunleavy scored 13 in the third quarter as the Pacers cut their deficit to 71-55 entering the fourth. However, the Orlando lead was too much to overcome as its lead never fell below 13 throughout the duration of the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Brandon Bass posted 12 points and six boards for the victors…Tyler Hansbrough scored nine with six caroms for Indiana, which saw Dahntay Jones, Josh McRoberts and A.J. Price all donate seven points in the loss.

Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Ryan Anderson (F – ORL), Mike Dunleavy (G – IND), Hedo Turkoglu (F – ORL), Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic

Orlando, FL (Sports Network) – Dwight Howard scored 13 points with 13 rebounds as the Orlando Magic capped their regular season schedule with a 92-74 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers at Amway Arena.

Howard recorded his double-double while playing just over 26 minutes in the win, Orlando’s fourth in five games. Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 while Ryan Anderson posted 14 points and seven boards in a reserve role.

The Magic capped their regular season with a 52-30 record and will enter the playoffs with the Eastern Conference’s fourth-seed.

“You tend to have room to make mistakes in the regular season,” said Howard. “But in the playoffs, if you make a mistake it can cost you a game which can then cost you a series.”

Orlando will face the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs for the third time in club history starting on Saturday in Orlando. The Magic handled the Hawks in the conference semifinals last season, sweeping the series 4-0. Orlando continued its success in 2010-11, winning 50- plus games for the fourth straight season.

Brandon Rush and Mike Dunleavy both scored 16 points in reserve roles for the Pacers, who dropped their final two games of the regular season. Indiana will head into the playoffs finishing the season with a 37-45 record.

“It’s a tall task but our guys are playing their best basketball of the season right now,” said Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. “We look forward to the task that we have ahead of us.”

The Pacers will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, earning the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seed and garnering the dubious honor of taking on one of the hottest teams, the Chicago Bulls beginning on Saturday in the Windy City. The only time these teams have met in the playoffs was in the Eastern Conference finals in 1997-98, as the Bulls topped the Pacers 4-3, moving on to win their final NBA Championship in the Michael Jordan-era and their sixth in eight years.

Orlando took the lead from the opening tip. Anderson scored 11 of his points on 4-of-4 from the field as the Magic held a 28-14 lead after one. Orlando held the Pacers to only 15 points in the second, taking a 53-29 lead into the break.

Dunleavy scored 13 in the third quarter as the Pacers cut their deficit to 71-55 entering the fourth. However, the Orlando lead was too much to overcome as its lead never fell below 13 throughout the duration of the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Brandon Bass posted 12 points and six boards for the victors…Tyler Hansbrough scored nine with six caroms for Indiana, which saw Dahntay Jones, Josh McRoberts and A.J. Price all donate seven points in the loss.

Read More: Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls will open their NBA playoff schedule by hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their series on Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. ET at the United Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and local cable partners of the teams. It will be the first game of the 2011 NBA Playoffs; two other East series kick off on Saturday, and at least one West series should as well. (None of the West’s four playoff series are yet set.)

The rest of the series schedule has yet to be announced, but expect 1-2 days of rest between games. Because it begins on Saturday and the Bulls are such heavy favorites, the Chicago-Indiana series has the greatest likelihood of ending earlier than any other first-round series.

The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks also tip off on Saturday, and Orlando is expected to handle Atlanta quickly. The winner of that series will meet the winner of Bulls-Pacers.

The Orlando Magic weren’t nearly as dominant in 2010-11 as they were in the past two seasons, but their star center may have never been better.

Before MVP candidate Dwight Howard(notes) leads them into the playoffs, the Magic conclude their fourth straight season of 50-plus wins when they host the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Howard is averaging a career-high 23.0 points per game and his 14.1 rebounds a contest are his second-best mark, behind the 14.2 he averaged in 2007-08.

He returned from his second one-game suspension for accumulation of technical fouls and powered Orlando (51-30) past Philadelphia 95-85 on Monday. Howard had 19 points, 13 boards and a pair of highlight-reel dunks as the Magic won for the third time in four games.

Howard is second in the NBA in rebounding, pacing an Orlando team that’s sixth with 43.1 a contest. The Magic held a 56-31 advantage on the glass against the 76ers and were up 25-2 on the boards at one point in the second quarter.

“It was good to see us rebound the ball as well as we did. The guys did a good job on the glass,” Howard told NBA.com.

The Magic, who will be the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will face Atlanta in the first round, finished with 59 wins in each of the last two seasons.

Ryan Anderson(notes) added 18 points and 14 rebounds Monday as the Magic overcame the absences of the injured Gilbert Arenas(notes) and J.J. Redick(notes), and the suspended Quentin Richardson(notes). Arenas and Redick appear doubtful for Wednesday, while Richardson will return after sitting out two games for shoving Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson(notes) last week.

The Magic have won both meetings with the Pacers this season, taking the most recent one 111-96 on Jan. 26 behind Howard’s 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Orlando has won four straight overall in the series and seven of eight home meetings, including five in a row.

The Pacers (37-44), headed toward a playoff matchup with top-seeded Chicago, had won four of five going into Sunday’s game against New York. Indiana, though, fell 110-109 after allowing the Knicks to score the final nine points, culminating with Carmelo Anthony’s(notes) jumper with 4.9 seconds remaining.

Anthony then blocked Danny Granger’s(notes) last-second shot.

“We had the game, let it get away,” said Granger, who scored 20 points. “I have no comments on the final play of the game.”

Roy Hibbert(notes) added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Darren Collison(notes) scored 16.

If the Pacers lose to Orlando, they’ll have the lowest win total for a playoff team since Atlanta qualified with 37 in 2007-08. Indiana is making its first postseason appearance since 2005-06.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Frank Vogel never doubted his Indiana Pacers.

In his early weeks as interim coach, he often talked as though Indiana’s presence in the postseason would be a foregone conclusion, even though he took over a team that was 10 games under .500.

His team backed up his confidence.

Danny Granger scored 25 points, and the Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006 with a 136-112 victory against the Washington Wizards last night.

Indiana improved to 19-16 under Vogel, who turned the team’s fortunes despite going with a younger lineup that won while experiencing growing pains.

“It’s a credit to Frank and his staff,” Granger said. “Granted, we still have some problems, and we had some problems along the way, but with the time they had to rehaul the team and do things differently, I think they did a great job.”

The Pacers needed a win and a Charlotte loss to Orlando last night to clinch a playoff berth. As the Pacers’ game ended, the Orlando-Charlotte game was in overtime, and the Conseco Fieldhouse staff put the game on the Jumbotron. Many fans stayed to cheer to the Magic on to a 111-102 win.

Paul George scored a career-high 23 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who posted their second-highest point total of the season.

Jordan Crawford scored 29 points and Andray Blatche added 23 for Washington. John Wall had 19 points and nine rebounds.

Indiana shot 60 percent from the field and the Wizards allowed the most points they have in a game this season.

“Energy caught up to us,” Washington coach Flip Saunders said. “I was worried before the game. Guys just didn’t seem to have that pep in their step. We almost really lost the game in the first seven minutes.”

Granger, who was averaging 20.4 points coming in, ended a streak of five straight games under 20 points.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Granger scored 25 points, and the Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006 with a 136-112 victory against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

The Pacers needed a win and a Charlotte loss to Orlando to clinch a spot in the postseason. As the Pacers’ game ended, the Orlando-Charlotte game was in overtime, and the Conseco Fieldhouse staff put the game on the Jumbotron. Many fans stayed to cheer to the Magic on to a 111-102 win.

Paul George scored a career-high 23 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who posted their second-highest point total of the season.

Jordan Crawford scored 29 points and Andray Blatche added 23 for Washington.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read More: Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Bobcats

The Indiana Pacers are a step closer to clinching a bid for the East bracket of the 2011 NBA Playoffs after a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday and a Charlotte Bobcats loss to the Orlando Magic. The Pacers lead the Bobcats by two games in standings with five games remaining; Charlotte has seven games left. Indiana has just one fewer loss than the Bobcats, though, so there’s still pressure to win.

Indiana’s magic number is four — they need four combined wins and Bobcats’ losses to claim the No. 8 seed. Four of Indiana’s five remaining games come against playoff teams, and two of those — the Hornets (Sunday) and Knicks (April 10) are currently playing for seeding. Another playoff opponent, the Hawks, haven’t had anything but momentum to play for in a week or so, yet they have managed to beat the Magic and Celtics in the last few days.

The Bobcats saw their winning streak vanish in Orlando on Friday. Since losing badly at home against the Pacers on March 23, the ‘Cats responded by beating the Celtics, Knicks, Bucks and Cavaliers — all in close games. But Dwight Howard overwhelmed Charlotte on Friday, and the Bobcats lost a game to Indiana. Three of Charlotte’s seven remaining games come against playoff teams, with games against the Magic and Heat on tap this week. Losses in both of those matches would make it extremely unlikely the Bobcats could catch Indiana.

For more on the Pacers’ run to the playoffs, visit Indy Cornrows. To get the take from Charlotte, check out Rufus On Fire.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Chauncey Billups scrimmaged with the New York Knicks Saturday and was highly optimistic that he’ll be able to return Sunday against the Indiana Pacers following a six-game absence due to a deep thigh bruise.

“It felt good, now I’m just hoping I don’t have any setbacks between now and tomorrow. If not, I look forward to playing tomorrow,” Billups said after the Knicks’ 90-minute session. “I went as good as I could. It’s amazing how being out a week you can get winded so fast, but I went pretty hard and it felt pretty good.”

The Knicks went 4-2 while Billups was sidelined, and they hope to have him for the final 18 games of the regular season as they jostle for playoff positioning.

Billups has not played since his thigh collided with the knee of Dwight Howard in the Knicks’ loss to Orlando on March 1.

Toney Douglas has started in his absence and averaged 16.5 points on 52 percent shooting with 7.5 assists per game.

“The timing couldn’t have been any worse with us trying to build as a unit, me as the point guard trying to learn these guys’ games and play with them, but it is what it is and we need to move forward,” Billups said.

Currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are just a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers but also are within reach of the fifth-place Atlanta Hawks, who lead New York by 1½ games but have a tougher schedule down the stretch.

Sunday’s game against the Pacers will begin a run of five games in which four of the opponents currently have losing records. Indiana, which the Knicks will face Tuesday as the visiting team, has lost six in a row to fall into a tie with Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

That has given a glimmer of postseason hope to the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, whom the Knicks will face next weekend before the schedule turns tougher with the Boston Celtics visiting Madison Square Garden on March 21, and the Orlando Magic coming in two nights later.

Amare Stoudemire said he was pleased with Friday’s ruling from the league office to rescind his 16th technical foul, which would have forced him to miss Sunday night’s game. Players are automatically suspended for their 16th technical, plus another game for every second subsequent technical foul they receive.

“There’s only been once so far where I was close to receiving a 16th technical foul. Other than that I’ve been pretty conscious of not receiving it,” said Stoudemire, who has not been called for a non-rescinded technical foul since Feb. 23 against Milwaukee.

After having a day off Friday following seven games in 10 nights, the Knicks will be busy the rest of the month. Saturday marked the last time until April 2 that the Knicks will have two consecutive days off between games.

“We’ll bounce back. That’s something I’m not worried about,” Carmelo Anthony said. “The schedule has been brutal to us, so we’re trying to get through right and we have two days to get right.

“The chemistry is not going to be there quite yet this early. We’ve seen flashes where everybody is on the same page, and we’ve seen flashes where we were out of sync — whether it was due to the scheduling, fatigue, whatever it was. But as far as the chemistry, we’re getting better each day.”

In the 10 games since Anthony and Billups were acquired, the Knicks have averaged nearly 115 points per game — well above their season average of 106.6. Anthony has averaged 25.6 points in his 10 games with the Knicks, while Stoudemire has been scoring at an average of 30.3 points.

But the Knicks also have surrendered at least 108 points in seven of those 10 games, with the Dallas Mavericks’ 127 points Thursday night representing the third-highest point total scored against New York this season.

Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN.com and ESPNNewYork.com.

Follow Chris Sheridan on Twitter: @csheridanespn

INDIANAPOLIS – Dwight Howard scored 19 points and 16 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 111-96 on Wednesday night.Jason Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points, and Ryan Anderson added 14 for the Magic, who made 16 of 34 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field.Orlando has won four of its past five games, but was coming off a home loss to Detroit on Monday.Danny Granger scored 27 points for the Pacers, but he shot 6 for 19 from the field. Darren Collison added 21 points for Indiana, which lost its sixth straight.Indiana made just eight of 30 3-pointers. The Pacers tied for their worst home loss, matching their 15-point defeat on Dec. 15 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

INDIANAPOLIS – Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 111-96 on Wednesday night.

Click to enlarge

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard gets a bucket on a dunk against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011.

Michael Conroy / The Associated Press

Jason Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points and Ryan Anderson added 14 for the Magic, who made 16-of-34 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field. Orlando has won four of its past five games, but was coming off a home loss to Detroit on Monday.

Danny Granger scored 27 points for the Pacers, but he shot 6 for 19 from the field. Darren Collison added 21 points for Indiana, which lost its sixth straight.

Indiana made just 8-of-30 3-pointers. The Pacers tied for their worst home loss, matching their 15-point defeat on Dec. 15 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando made seven 3-pointers in the second quarter to open up a close game. The Magic shot 59 percent in the first half and led 62-48 at the break. Orlando shot 72 percent in the second quarter and outscored the Pacers 38-27.

Indiana opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Mike Dunleavy, but the Magic regained momentum with an alley-oop pass from Turkoglu to Howard for a power jam that gave the Magic a 69-53 lead. Orlando stretched its lead to 23 points midway through the quarter and led 86-72 at the end of the period.

Indiana opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer by Granger, sparking a 7-0 run that cut Orlando’s lead to 86-79.

Turkoglu stopped the run with a three-point play that pushed the Magic’s lead back to 10 points with 8:39 to play. A 3-pointer by Jameer Nelson gave Orlando a 94-79 lead and caused the Pacers to call a timeout.

Indiana closed within 11, but Richardson made two 3-pointers to extend Orlando’s lead to 103-86.

NOTES: The Pacers observed a moment of silence for Indianapolis metro police officer David Moore, who died Wednesday after being shot Sunday during a traffic stop. … Orlando’s Gilbert Arenas drained 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to give Magic 24-21 lead. … The Magic waived point guard Jason Williams on Wednesday. He appeared in just 16 games this season and averaged 2.1 points.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers were so worried about slowing Dwight Howard that they failed to guard Orlando on the perimeter.

The result was a three-point shooting exhibition unlike any Indiana has seen. The Magic made 16 three-pointers, the most ever by a Pacers opponent, in a 111-96 win on Wednesday night.

Howard, who had 19 points and 16 rebounds, set the tone by dunking on Indiana’s 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert on Orlando’s first offensive possession. Once Howard established himself, Orlando’s outside shooters went to work. The Magic made seven three-pointers in the second quarter to take control.

“We had to play inside out, and that’s when we have a lot of success,” Howard said.

Ryan Anderson made three three-pointers in a four-minute span to turn a 26-24 lead into a 47-30 advantage for the Magic.

“We tried doing our assignments that Coach taught us, but we let some threes get away from us,” Indiana point guard Darren Collison said. “Ryan Anderson got hot for a little bit. I think he opened the game up for them.”

Jason Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points and Anderson added 14 for the Magic, who shot 50 percent from the field.

Seven different Orlando players made at least one three-pointer.

“They absolutely had their way from the three-point line,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said. “We had lapses on the perimeter that we shouldn’t have. Sometimes, you have games where you are not focused on the little things, and that’s what happened tonight.”

Danny Granger scored 27 points for the Pacers, but he shot 6 for 19 from the field.

Collison added 21 points for Indiana, which lost its sixth straight.

“I think we’ve just got to stay with it,” Collison said. “Every game, we’re playing hard. We’re right in it.”

Indiana made just 8-of-30 three-pointers. The Pacers tied for their worst home loss of the season, matching their 15-point defeat on Dec. 15 against the Lakers.

Indiana opened the second half with a three-pointer by Mike Dunleavy, but the Magic regained momentum with an alley-oop pass from Turkoglu to Howard for a power jam that gave the Magic a 69-53 lead. Orlando stretched its lead to 23 points midway through the quarter and led 86-72 at the end of the period.

Indiana started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Granger, sparking a 7-0 run that cut Orlando’s lead to 86-79.

Turkoglu stopped the run with a three-point play that pushed the Magic’s lead back to 10 points with 8:39 to play. A three-pointer by Jameer Nelson gave Orlando a 94-79 lead and caused the Pacers to call a timeout.

Indiana closed within 11, but Richardson made two three-pointers to extend Orlando’s lead to 103-86.

The Pacers have improved offensively, but struggled defensively during their losing streak. Granger said a series of lineup changes has affected their defensive continuity. “Defense really is a thing where you’ve got to know rotations, you’ve got to know assignments, you’ve got to know coverages,” he said.

Updated Jan 26, 2011 11:40 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

The Indiana Pacers were so worried about slowing Dwight Howard that they failed to guard Orlando on the perimeter.

The result was a three-point shooting exhibition unlike any Indiana has seen. The Magic made 16 three-pointers, the most ever by a Pacers opponent, in a 111-96 win on Wednesday night.

Howard, who had 19 points and 16 rebounds, set the tone by dunking on Indiana’s 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert on Orlando’s first offensive possession. Once Howard established himself, Orlando’s outside shooters went to work. The Magic made seven three-pointers in the second quarter to take control.

”We had to play inside-out, and that’s when we have a lot of success,” Howard said.

Ryan Anderson made three three-pointers in a four-minute span to turn a 26-24 lead into a 47-30 advantage for the Magic.

”We tried doing our assignments that coach taught us, but we let some threes get away from us,” Indiana point guard Darren Collison said. ”Ryan Anderson got hot for a little bit. I think he opened the game up for them.”

Jason Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points and Anderson added 14 for the Magic, who shot 50 percent from the field. Seven Orlando players made at least one three-pointer.

”They absolutely had their way from the three-point line,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said. ”We had lapses on the perimeter that we shouldn’t have. Sometimes, you have games where you are not focused on the little things, and that’s what happened tonight.”

Danny Granger scored 27 points for the Pacers, but he shot 6 for 19 from the field.

“We defended Danny Granger very, very well,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. ”I thought we made it tough for him to make shots. ”

Collison added 21 points for Indiana, which lost its sixth straight.

”We’ve just got to stay with it,” Collison said. ”Every game, we’re playing hard. We’re right in it. We’ve just got to stay focused and keep that faith alive.”

Indiana made just 8 of 30 three-pointers. The Pacers matched their worst home loss of the season, a 15-point defeat Dec. 15 against the Lakers.

Indiana opened the second half with a three-pointer by Mike Dunleavy, but the Magic regained momentum with an alley-oop pass from Turkoglu to Howard for a power jam that gave the Magic a 69-53 lead. Orlando stretched its lead to 23 midway through the quarter and led 86-72 at the end of the period.

Indiana started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Granger, sparking a 7-0 run that cut Orlando’s lead to 86-79.

Turkoglu stopped the run with a three-point play that pushed the Magic’s lead back to 10 with 8:39 to play. A three-pointer by Jameer Nelson gave Orlando a 94-79 lead and caused the Pacers to call a timeout.

Indiana closed within 11, but Richardson made two three-pointers to extend Orlando’s lead to 103-86.

”We played a very good first half, we played a very good first eight minutes of the third quarter and then I think we struggled a little bit,” Van Gundy said. ”We turned it over a couple times, got stripped, missed some free throws, couldn’t get the ball in the basket, let up a little bit defensively.”

The Pacers have improved offensively but struggled defensively during their losing streak. Granger said a series of lineup changes has affected their defensive continuity.

”Defense really is a thing where you’ve got to know rotations, you’ve got to know assignments, you’ve got to know coverages,” Granger said. ”More often than not, we’re missing our assignments, we’re missing coverages.”

The shine is coming off the Pacers’ encouraging start to the season.

”We’re sliding right now, and if we don’t stop it soon, we’ll be out of the playoff mix,” Granger said. ”It’s do or die right now.”

NOTES: The Pacers observed a moment of silence for Indianapolis metro police officer David Moore, who died Wednesday after being shot Sunday during a traffic stop. … Orlando’s Gilbert Arenas drained 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to give Magic 24-21 lead. … The Magic waived point guard Jason Williams on Wednesday. He appeared in just 16 games this season and averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 assists. … Indiana G Brandon Rush sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and did not return.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS — Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 111-96 on Wednesday night.

Jason Richardson had 19 points and nine rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 points and Ryan Anderson added 14 points for the Magic, who made 16-of-34 three-pointers and shot 50 per cent from the field. Orlando has won four of its past five games, but was coming off a home loss to Detroit on Monday.

Danny Granger scored 27 points for the Pacers, but shot 6-for-19 from the field. Darren Collison added 21 points for Indiana, which lost its sixth straight.

Indiana made just 8-of-30 three-pointers. The Pacers tied for their worst home loss, matching their 15-point defeat Dec. 15 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando made seven three-pointers in the second quarter to open up a close game. The Magic shot 59 per cent in the first half and led 62-48 at the break. Orlando shot 72 per cent in the second quarter and outscored the Pacers 38-27.

Indiana opened the second half with a three-pointer by Mike Dunleavy, but the Magic regained momentum with an alley-oop pass from Turkoglu to Howard for a power jam that gave the Magic a 69-53 lead. Orlando stretched its lead to 23 points midway through the quarter and led 86-72 at the end of the period.

Indiana opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Granger, sparking a 7-0 run that cut Orlando’s lead to 86-79.

Turkoglu stopped the run with a three-point play that pushed the Magic’s lead back to 10 points with 8:39 to play. A three-pointer by Jameer Nelson gave Orlando a 94-79 lead and caused the Pacers to call a timeout.

Indiana closed within 11 points but Richardson made two three-pointers to extend Orlando’s lead to 103-86.

NOTES: The Pacers observed a moment of silence for Indianapolis police officer David Moore, who died Wednesday after being shot Sunday during a traffic stop. … Orlando’s Gilbert Arenas drained three-pointer at the end of the first quarter to give Magic 24-21 lead. … The Magic waived point guard Jason Williams on Wednesday. He appeared in just 16 games this season and averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 assists. … Indiana G Brandon Rush sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and did not return.