Nate Taylor

IndyStar

Pacers at Heat, 7:30 p.m. Monday, FSI

ORLANDO, Fla. – The roles reversed for the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. They entered Amway Center not as the team looking for an impressive win. No, they were the establishment, the team with the superstar, the playoff contender. All the labels that the Orlando Magic would love to own.

Instead of the Pacers being the hunter, as they were Friday in Oklahoma City, they searched for consecutive wins to start the second half of the season. The upstart Magic, full of young players, wanted to a notch a win against an opponent with a better record.

The Pacers performed well enough on defense in the final seconds to secure a 105-102 victory.

Fortunately for the Pacers, Orlando’s Victor Oladipo, a former Indiana University star, missed everything – the rim, the backboard, the net – on a desperation 3-pointer with 5 seconds left that would have given the Magic the lead. The Pacer who influenced Oladipo’s awkward shot was Monta Ellis.

“In that situation, the only thing I was trying to do was jump by him and I was going to try to contest from the back,” said Ellis, who led the Pacers with 21 points. “He tried to jump into me and I just held my hand up to show the ref that I was jumping past him and it wasn’t a foul.”

• BOX SCORE: Pacers 105, Magic 102

When looking at the box score, the Pacers (30-25) did enough on defense to stay in position to win. They held the Magic to 41 percent shooting, recorded six blocks and were only outrebounded by one.

Paul George, though, voiced how the Pacers’ success in their two games after the All-Star break is as much mental as it is statistical.

“Our whole mindset shifted,” George said. “We’re coming in and we’re expected to win as opposed to trying to grind these games out and try to get a win. Granted, this was a grind-out game, but I think at every point in this game, we felt like we should have won this. We played down the stretch with the confidence that we did in OKC.”

George was effective, particularly in the second half, finishing with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds.

George and Ellis could have made the win an easier one late, but they both missed jump shots in the final minute. George’s 3-pointer with the Pacers ahead by two points bounced off the rim. Ellis missed a wide-open 3-pointer and a tough, fadeaway jumper with 11 seconds left.

The Pacers’ defense, anchored by rookie Myles Turner and Ian Mahinmi, was at its stingiest in the final 3 minutes. The Magic scored just three points during that stretch.

On the Magic’s final possession, Brandon Jennings was met by Mahinmi when he began to dribble toward the paint. Behind Mahinmi was Turner, who had both feet in the paint. Jennings stopped his dribble, looked at the Pacers’ 6-11 defenders and aborted his plans. He passed to Oladipo, who did not make a 3-pointer the entire game.

Turner collected the rebound and finished the game by making two free throws.

“What I love about this team and the way we’re playing right now is I really trust our defense,” coach Frank Vogel said. “Ian Mahinmi and Myles Turner protecting the basket looks pretty darn good. By the way, they were 11-for-15 tonight, so that’s a heck of a starting frontcourt that we have. I just know when the ball comes to the basket, I like our odds.”

Myles Turner: The gamble, the future, the talent

Vogel, for the second time in as many weeks, warned his team to be ready for an energetic opponent looking to put itself in the postseason discussion. The first message was not well received, as the Pacers were blown out at home by the Charlotte Hornets just before the All-Star break. The Magic, after trading for Jennings and Ersan Illyasova on Tuesday, appeared ready to make their push for a playoff spot after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in overtime Friday.

The Pacers were not careful with the ball in the first half. They committed 17 turnovers, a number some teams do not reach until the fourth quarter or at all. They also struggled to stay attached to the Magic’s shooters on the perimeter, leaving plenty of open shots. Yet, somehow, the Pacers were tied 47-47 at halftime.

“We’re very fortunate that we didn’t lose this with all the turnovers that we had,” George said. “Our defense held up. This game could have got ugly; it could have gotten out of hand early. But that was really the tale of the first half. We knew we had to shift that in the second half, take care of the ball and we’ll get better looks and better shots.”

In the two previous games this season, the Pacers were able to beat the Magic with strong runs in the second half to create enough distance on the scoreboard. Sunday’s game finished in a similar fashion.

Beyond the victories Sunday and Friday, the Pacers are hoping to be more consistent – in terms of offensive execution, defensive rebounding and overall intense effort. The Pacers did not perform Sunday with the same quality they showed Friday, but the final result was the same: a victory.

Pacers hope biggest win of the year has springboard effect

Miles injures calf

C.J. Miles left Sunday’s game early in the fourth quarter with a strained left calf. Miles sustained the injury when he landed on the court after swishing a 3-pointer in the corner. Once he was able to get up, Miles told the training staff of his injury and was taken immediately to the locker room. He did not return and finished with 14 points in 13 minutes off the bench.

“My body has been feeling a lot better, but today it just came out of nowhere,” Miles said. “I just turned around to push off and I felt it pop a little bit.”

Miles was able to walk around in the locker room after the game, but he said he could not put much pressure on his calf. Miles missed Friday’s game against the Thunder because of a stomach virus. The Pacers have listed him as questionable for Monday’s game against the Miami Heat.

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

Pacers at Heat, 7:30 p.m. Monday, FSI

PACERS (30-25)*

* - Pacers player statistics through Saturday.

HEAT (31-24)

STORYLINES

SERIES FINALE COULD MEAN A LOT: Entering Monday’s game, the Pacers have a 2-1 advantage against the Heat in the season series. If the Pacers win in Miami, their advantage could be important for a tiebreaker if both teams end the season with the same record. The Pacers already have the tiebreaker over the Detroit Pistons.

YOUNG GETTING VALUABLE MINUTES: While Rodney Stuckey rests his injured right foot, rookie Joe Young continues to play meaningful minutes as the team’s backup point guard. Young scored four points and recorded two rebounds in Friday’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. “He brings great energy and he’s improving on the defensive end, which is all you can ask for with young players,” coach Frank Vogel said before Sunday’s game. “He’s a threat to give us some scoring, which is what the (second unit) needs.”

QUOTABLE: “He’s a big part. The way we’re structuring it right now, it is more of the starters all together and then the bench all together. I’m doing it with the design and purpose to try to get C.J. Miles going more and take advantage of what he can do.” – Vogel on the importance of Miles as the sixth man off the bench for the Pacers.

PREDICTION: The Miami Heat are playing well since the All-Star break ended. This will be a good test for the Pacers in a place they have struggled for many years. Heat 97, Pacers 95.

– Nate Taylor

Ride along as we travel with the Pacers via the IndyStar Pacers XTRA app: http://bit.ly/1BR4fDs

Insider Q&A: Can the Pacers move up in the East standings?