The Indiana Pacers squandered a 19-point lead against the Orlando Magic but rose up in overtime to register a 101-99 victory on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven NBA playoff series.
“I’m very, very proud of our guys for showing a great deal of resiliency in the face of a furious comeback by the Magic,” said Indiana coach Frank Vogel.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but we still came out of here with a win,” said a relieved David West, scorer of 26 points to lead the Pacers who can clinch the first-round series with a victory in Game Five on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
The Los Angeles Clippers held off a last-minute charge by the Memphis Grizzlies to hold on for an 87-86 victory that gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven.
In Orlando, the Magic trailed 82-63 with 8:14 left but rallied to tie it 89-89 at the end of regulation and force overtime.
Orlando even had a chance to win before the extra time but Jameer Nelson’s jumper at the buzzer came up short, scraping off the front rim.
Indiana scored the first six points of the extra five-minute period but once again the Magic clawed back to tie at 99-99.
FREE THROWS
With 2.2 seconds left in overtime, Nelson fouled George Hill driving into the lane and the Pacers guard sank both free throws for a 101-99 lead.
Glen “Big Baby” Davis’s desperate, fall-away jumper grazed the rim as the buzzer sounded to leave Orlando, playing without injured center Dwight Howard, on the brink of elimination.
“I’m very proud of our guys for what they gave,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s easy to cave in, but our guys didn’t. We kept coming and coming and coming. They fought hard.”
Danny Granger added 21 points for Indiana, while Hill scored the Pacers’ last six points as he registered 12 points for the game.
The Magic were paced by Jason Richardson with 25 points, and Davis scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds.
“It definitely was a tough game. We gave everything we had,” said Richardson. “Just play for our lives now.”
The first-round series resumes in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
