Magic falls on Pacers as Wendell Carter sits for 3rd absence in 4 games – The Mercury News

The Orlando Magic rode the problem for nearly a month, but they couldn’t in Monday’s 123-102 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

They ran out of gas.

Their lack of healthy players seems to have caught up with them and played a big role in Monday’s loss, the Magic’s first resounding loss (5-13) this season.

Already without five players to start the road trip, the Magic ended the game without Wendell Carter Jr., Chuma Okeke and Jalen Suggs.

Carter didn’t play because of a tight right plantar fascia (soft tissue under the foot). Okeke was ruled out in the third quarter with left knee pain. Sugg hasn’t been officially ruled out, but he was released early in the fourth after appearing to hurt his right ankle.

This exacerbated the Magic’s problems on the court on Monday, with Orlando sometimes executing the game plan or playing with the energy to win – something that happens to every team during an NBA season but no longer happens. apparent only because of injuries.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers (10-6) with 18 points and 14 assists in 27 minutes. Ben Mathurin scored a game-high 22 points off the bench.

Franz Wagner had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists while Gary Harris had 18 points off the bench for the Magic.

Carter did not participate in the team’s morning shot and was a game decision before being ruled out 2½ hours before the whistleblower for his third absence in four games due to the injury.

Coach Jamahl Mosley said Carter didn’t complete his pre-game routine before he was sent off.

“All I know is it hurt this morning,” Mosley said. “I prefer error on the side of caution against him trying to test him again.”

Carter told the Orlando Sentinel he plans to have his foot checked by a doctor once the team returns to Central Florida.

He hopes to be available for Friday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Amway Center.

Carter was also a game decision for Saturday’s loss to the Pacers, but was ruled out less than an hour before the whistleblower after attempting to go through his pregame warmup.

“A combination of both,” Mosley said when asked if Carter’s disease was more about pain management than an additional foot injury. “There is pain there – a lot of pain there. He plays it, which he has done before. Just make sure it doesn’t get worse.

Carter told the Sentinel ahead of Friday’s road win over the Chicago Bulls that he struggled with his injury for 5-6 games before being sidelined for the first time in Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. Minnesota Timberwolves.

He had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 minutes on Friday.

“It got really bad the last game and I didn’t feel comfortable going out,” he added. “Knowing my body, knowing that when I’m in pain I’m going to start favoring things, I didn’t want to end up hurting something else because I’m favoring something on my foot.

“There’s really no specific thing you can put on it to keep it from hurting. It’s just about tolerance and warmth and stuff like that.

Cole Anthony (torn right internal oblique), Paolo Banchero (sprained left ankle), Markelle Fultz (fractured left big toe), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury recovery) and Moe Wagner (sprained right midfoot ) remain absent.

Monday’s Magic-Pacers game was the second in three nights at Indianapolis.

It was the Magic’s first “baseball-style series” of the season — when two teams play back-to-back games at the same location with no travel in between.

They still have five of those series left: against the 76ers in Orlando (Friday and Sunday); against the Toronto Raptors in Orlando (December 9 and 11); at the Boston Celtics (December 16 and 18); at 76ers in Philadelphia (January 30 and February 1); vs. Cavaliers in Orlando (April 4 and 6).

“I love those situations,” Mosley said. “They teach a young team how [to] adjust and what adjustments you need to make. Did you make the game plan correctly? Or was it some of your own mistakes that you made or things that you did well? You are able to assess it right away.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Prize to khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

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