The Indiana Pacers take down the Orlando Magic 88-69 in Frank Vogel's first game back in Indianapolis as a visiting coach. Vogel was let go by the Pacers last may after they lost in Game 7 of last season's first round of the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors.
Vogel spent nine seasons with the Pacers as an assistant and as head coach. During his tenure in Indiana, he became the most successful head coach in franchise history. He led the Pacers to five playoff appearances, twice in the eastern conference finals. He also oversaw how Paul George became a 3-time all-star, broke his leg, and returned to all-star form again.
Frank Vogel received a warm welcome from Pacers' fans when he was introduced before tipoff. He admitted he felt emotional because of what the city means to him. "I love the fans here and we had a special relationship," said Vogel. "I'm very, very grateful for the support they have shown me over the years and it was a warm welcome."
Vogel was very happy with how he was received in Bankers Life Fieldhouse but was very upset with his new team's performance as Orlando was held to this season's lowest points in a game with 69 points. "It's a very disappointing performance tonight - that's the only way to put it," said Vogel.
The Orlando Magic shot just 32.1% from the field and had 16 turnovers. They just didn't look like the team that beat the Oklahoma City Thunder a night before who scored 119 points.
As for the Indiana Pacers, they stopped a two-game losing streak and is looking forward to their November schedule that is packed with home games. They didn't shoot the ball well in this game but they were locked in on defense. "Tonight was obviously our best defensive game. I think it was our best game overall," said George."
They also got a boost from their bench with Kevin Seraphin who had six points, 10 rebounds (five from the offensive end) and three assists in just 19 minutes. He provided the energy that the Pacers very much needed and sparked a run at the end of the third quarter that gave them a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Indiana then went all out on defense in the final period and limited Orlando to just 12 points. CJ Miles led all scorers with 16 points with four 3-pointers. Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton led the Magic with 14 and 12, respectively.
