Orlando Magic win at home over the Indiana Pacers, 135-127, behind the 1-2 scoring punch of Desmond Bane & Paolo Banchero

Photo for Headline Surfer courtesy Orlando Magic / Desmond Bane, shown here scoring two of his team-high 31 points, led six Magic players in double figures in a 135-127 win at home over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at the Kia Center, in Orlando. At the same time, Paolo Banchero recorded 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Magic defeated the Pacers, 135-127, Sunday night at home in the Kia Center, behind Desmond Bane team-high 31 points along with 6 rebounds and six assists.

Paolo Banchero tallied 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the game. Anthony Black tallied 27 points and a career-high 10 assists for Orlando. Wendell Carter Jr. posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Jase Richardson scored 12 points, and Tristan da Silva finished with 10 points.

Pascal Siakam paced Indiana with 34 points, while Aaron Nesmith scored 25 and Andrew Nembhard had 20 points and 11 assists. 

The Magic improved their record to 20-16 with the win, while the Pacers fell to 6-30 for the season.

“Offensively, we played really well today," the Magic's Jase Richardson said. "Everybody was sharing the ball. But defensively, (it was) pretty sloppy from us. That’s not characteristic for how we play defense. I think that was frustrating in a lot of the huddles. Giving up easy buckets. I think we have to look back at this one and take what we can.” 

“Offensively, we played really well today," the Magic's Jase Richardson said. "Everybody was sharing the ball. But defensively, (it was) pretty sloppy from us. That’s not characteristic for how we play defense. I think that was frustrating in a lot of the huddles. Giving up easy buckets. I think we have to look back at this one and take what we can.” 

Franz Wagner (ankle), Moe Wagner (knee), and Jalen Suggs (knee) were out for Orlando, while Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Obi Toppin (foot), Bennedict Mathurin (thumb), and Isaiah Jackson (concussion) were out for Indiana.

The Magic will go on the road to play the Washington Wizards tonight. 

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Henry Frederick press card / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer: 
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. •  Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.