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Danny Granger had 26 points and nine rebounds, Roy Hibbert added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 97-74 on Wednesday night to a take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
The Pacers regained home-court advantage with the victory, riding good shooting early and building a 29-point lead in the fourth quarter.
They also dominated scoring underneath thanks to a 46-33 rebounding edge and have outscored the Magic 81-43 in the third quarter in the series.
Glen Davis led the Magic with 22 points, and J.J. Redick added 13. The Magic never led, struggled to get any scoring in the paint, and made a series-low five 3-pointers.
Game 4 is Saturday in Orlando.
Indiana coach Frank Vogel’s implored the Pacers after each of the first two games to make better shot selections.
They finally did it in Game 3.
It translated into their best shooting of the series as the Pacers built a 23-point lead in the third quarter and led 76-55 entering the fourth.
— Reported by Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press
