Pacers defeat Magic 93-78, even series 1-1

[May 01, 2012]  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- David West had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 93-78 on Monday night and even the Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece.

Danny Granger and George Hill each added 18 points and Paul George had 17 points and eight rebounds for Indiana.

Glen Davis led the Magic with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he shot 5 for 16 from the field. J.J. Redick scored 13 points and Jameer Nelson added 12 for Orlando.

The Pacers were heavy favorites in the series because Dwight Howard, Orlando's All-Star center, is out with a back injury. Indiana lost Game 1 81-77 on Saturday, and the frustrated Pacers fought hard to avoid taking a two-game deficit to Orlando on Wednesday.

Indiana outrebounded Orlando 26-13 in the second half and held the Magic to 36 percent shooting overall. Indiana has held the Magic below 40 percent shooting in both games.

The Pacers won despite making just 2 of 20 3-point attempts and Granger, the team's leading scorer this season, shooting just 7 for 21 from the field.

Orlando led 44-42 at halftime despite shooting just 32 percent from the field. The Magic stayed in the game with 12 offensive rebounds. Davis had 14 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

Granger hit a 3-pointer to tie the game early in the third quarter, then Hill made a layup to give the Pacers a 54-52 lead with 7:17 left and bring an uneasy crowd back into the game.

Granger's three-point play extended Indiana's lead midway through the quarter, and a 3-pointer by Hill made it 64-55 and forced Orlando to call a timeout. The Pacers outrebounded the Magic 12-1 during their 22-11 run to start the second half.

The Pacers poured it on the rest of the quarter and led 72-57 heading into the fourth. Indiana outscored Orlando 16-2 over the final 6:40 of the quarter and held the Magic to 1-for-8 shooting.

George's stepback jumper on the baseline as the shot clock expired gave Indiana a 78-64 lead with 9 minutes to play, and his three-point play 2 minutes later pushed the lead to 15.

NOTES: Orlando missed its first four shots and didn't score for nearly 3 minutes to start the game. ... Indiana shot 55 percent in the first quarter. ... Orlando F Ryan Anderson had eight points and six rebounds in the first quarter, but fouled out with 11 points and eight boards. ... Orlando outrebounded Indiana 25-20 in the first half. ... Indiana C Roy Hibbert was in foul trouble throughout the game and finished with four points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. ... Davis is shooting 13 for 36 from the field in the series. ... Indiana, which shot 13 for 22 from the free-throw line in Game 1 was 25 for 28 on Monday.

[Associated Press; By CLIFF BRUNT]

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