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Pacers rout Magic for sixth straight win

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indiana Pacers' Rodney Stuckey (2) is defended by Orlando Magic's Elfrid Payton (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 10, 2015, in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS >> Reserve Rodney Stuckey had 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 118-86 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Damjan Rudez scored 17 points, and Luis Scola added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the surging Pacers (29-34), who moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Tobias Harris had 22 points and six rebounds, and Elfrid Payton finished with 14 points for the Magic, who have lost five of seven games.

Stuckey made two of his career-best six 3-pointers in an 18-0 run in the first half. Indiana used a 9-3 run in the fourth quarter to pull away, with Solomon Hill’s two-handed dunk to give the Pacers a 93-73 lead with 9:52 remaining.

The Pacers made 17 3-pointers to match the franchise record. Stuckey was 6 for 9 and Rudez went 5 for 7.

The Magic, who have lost eight straight road games, led 28-20 when Aaron Gordon dunked on an alley-oop pass from Payton. Then Indiana went on its big first-half run, taking the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Rudez and building a 38-28 advantage.

He made two more in the third quarter, including one to put the Pacers ahead 71-54 midway through the period.

The Magic got back within 11 when Harris made a 3-pointer, but George Hill answered with a 3. Stuckey made a 3-pointer and made three other baskets, including one to give the Pacers an 89-70 lead early in the fourth quarter.

TIP-INS

Orlando: Starting center Nikola Vucevic returned after missing two straight games with a sore left ankle. The Magic’s leading scorer this season finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Pacers: Stuckey was just six points shy of reaching his career high. With the Detroit Pistons, Stuckey scored 40 points against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 23, 2008. His previous career high for 3-pointers was four, a total he reached three times and most recently against Sacramento in the 2011-12 season.

UP NEXT

Magic: Visit Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Pacers: Host Milwaukee on Thursday.

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