ORLANDO, Fla. — Aaron Holiday scored 20 points, Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in his return from a three-game injury absence and the Indiana Pacers held off the Orlando Magic 111-106 on Friday night.
Holiday made six of Indiana’s 11 3-pointers, two nights after scoring a season-best 22 points in a victory over Minnesota. Sabonis returned from a sprained left ankle.
Doug McDermott made 8 of 13 shots and added 19 points off the bench for Indiana. The Pacers improved to 15-12 on the road and 20-6 when leading after three quarters.
Orlando guard Terrence Ross sent a scare into the Pacers by scoring 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Ross converted two thunderous dunks seconds apart in the final period to draw the Magic to 108-104. After Malcom Brogdon’s free throw pushed Indiana’s lead back to five, James Ennis III made two free throws to get the Magic to 109-106 with 14.9 seconds remaining. T.J. McConnell sealed it with two free throws with 8.7 seconds remaining.
Brogdon returned after missing the previous four games with a right hip injury. He had 11 points, missing all five of his 3-point shots.
Mo Bamba had 14 points and six rebounds for the Magic. Ennis also had 14 points.
GARY’S GAINS
Gary Harris, one of the centerpiece players in Orlando’s trade with Denver at the deal deadline, said he sees a lot of similarities with this Magic team and the Nuggets’ squad he played on early in his career.
“When I first got to Denver we were in a rebuilding period and we were able to grow and get our principles, get our core together and we were able to become a championship-contending team,” he said. “This (Orlando) team has all those qualities. We have some very talented guys. The NBA is hard and it’s going to be important taking these last 20-something games seriously and we can really improve. This can be a really good team and if we continue building this can be something very special.”
Harris returned to game action Friday for the first time since Feb. 17 because of an adductor strain. He had eight points in 18 minutes.
TIP INS
Pacers: Indiana was without center Myles Turner for a second straight game because of a left ankle sprain. Turner leads the NBA in blocked shots (3.5 per game). … McDermott scored 11 points in his first six minutes. He made his first five shots. … Sabonis grabbed at least 15 rebounds for an eighth time this season.
Magic: The Magic created more playing time for Bamba on Thursday by waiving reserve center Khem Birch. … Chuma Okeke, who averaged a team-best 16.1 points in the first six games following the trade deadline, went scoreless in the first quarter for a second straight game. He didn’t make his first field goal until the first minute of the second half.
