The Indiana Pacers are set to take on the Orlando Magic at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This is Indiana’s first rematch of the season, they are coming off an impressive performance against the Mavericks winning the game 134-127. Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton were the key figures in the victory as Turner netted 30 and had 11 rebounds whereas Haliburton added 25 points and 12 assists.

On the other hand, the Magic are a much different team than they were the last time they faced each other and won 119-115. The reason is Paolo Banchero, who torched Indiana for 50 points, is out with an oblique injury. Teammates Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner will have to carry the offensive burden in his absence.

Both teams have had rough starts to the season the Magic more so as they currently are on a four-game losing streak. Wagner, Suggs, and Bitadze who returned from a foot injury were the only Magic players to touch double figures in the most recent loss to OKC Thunder. They failed to reach the 90-point mark for the second straight game.

While the Pacers boasted victories over last year’s finalists the Mavericks and Celtics. Their coach Rick Carlisle said, “Our team is gaining experience” and added “We had a lot of close road games last year that we were able to win. So our guys are understanding what these kinds of situations are about.” suggesting last season’s experience is helping his side win these close games.

Let’s take a look at the injury reports to gain some insight into both teams.

Injury Reports

Indiana Pacers Injury Report

Indiana has several injuries in their camp but one that could be a big blow is Andrew Nembhard who is questionable for tonight’s game against the Magic due to a knee injury. Aaron Nesmith according to Coach Rick Carlisle is wearing a walking boot on his left foot and is ruled out of the game.

Two more players on the list are Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman. Jackson suffered a torn Achilles in Friday’s game against the Pelicans and is out indefinitely for now and Wiseman underwent successful surgery to repair his torn left Achilles and will be out for some time.

Orlando Magic Injury Report

Of course, as mentioned earlier the biggest blow to the Magic will be the absence of their star Paolo Banchero who has been diagnosed with a right torn oblique and it will be 4 to 6 weeks before he’s re-evaluated. He averaged 29 points in the games he played while he also added 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Wendell Carter Jr. is the other name on the list who will not play tonight’s game due to a foot injury.

Depth Charts

Let’s take a look at how the Pacers and Magic fare against each other.

Indiana Pacers Depth Chart

Orlando Magic Depth Chart

Ultimately, it could be a very close game in Indiana tonight. The Magic are 29th ranked in the league’s offensive rating whereas the Pacers rank 9th and were 2nd last season. Even though the Pacers are struggling defensively, they go in this one as favorites due to their offense and also their form which is much better than the Magic.