In this file photo, When the Magic escaped Indiana on Wednesday, Orlando needed a layup from Paolo Banchero with 7.5 seconds left in the contest to finish on top of the Pacers with a 2-point win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Late-game heroics were needed once again game when the sides met at Kia Center for a Sunday matinee.

Desmond Bane (31 points), Banchero (28) and Anthony Black (27) combined for 86 as Orlando outlasted Indiana 135-127 in a high-scoring affair that saw each side lead by as many as 12 points.

With the Magic ahead by three points with 1:10 left, Tristan da Silva (10 points) drilled a 3-pointer to put Orlando ahead by six and Wendell Carter Jr. (18) flushed down a drive to extend its lead to eight with 17.6 seconds left.

“There was some poise understanding what we were trying to accomplish down the stretch,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the eight-point win.

Mosley’s squad turned defense into offense when it scored 18 points off 11 Indiana turnovers while finishing with a 60-50 scoring advantage in the paint.

Although Pascal Siakam notched 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes, the loss was the 12th in a row for Indiana (6-30).

“We just did a good job of staying poised,” Banchero said. “[The Pacers] kept making shots and we were just able to come down and execute late in the game in the fourth quarter.”

The Magic (20-16) won’t be home long because they have games at Washington on Tuesday and at Brooklyn the next night.

Starting 5

Black returned to the starting lineup after Jalen Suggs suffered a right knee Grade 1 MCL contusion Friday at Chicago, and the third-year guard boosted Orlando’s offense early.

In the first quarter alone, Black scored 13 points by hitting from 3-point range (2 for 4) and getting to the free throw line (5 for 5) as he ended with 20-plus for the 11th time this season.

He started alongside Bane, Banchero, da Silva and Carter against the Pacers.

Bane and Banchero got in on the action during the second quarter when they each had 11 points at the break after each scored nine in the second frame.

Bane shot the ball well when he knocked two 3-pointers in the third quarter en route to recording six rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Sunday’s game marked the fifth Bane has scored 30-plus points this season.

“Much better offensively but we’ve still got to figure out how to string together some stops on the defensive end,” Bane said. “We got a few when it mattered, but we’re better than that on that end, for sure.”

Carter notched his sixth double-double of the season as he added 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Banchero added 12 rebounds for his team-leading ninth double-double.

2nd-quarter swing

The Magic trailed by 12 points early in the second frame before they went on a 17-0 run to outscore Indiana 41-22 in the quarter.

Orlando shot 72.2% from the floor and 11 for 14 at the free throw line in the second quarter while it held the Pacers to 30.4% shooting and gave up just three free throws.

It marked the sixth time this season the Magic have scored 40-plus points in a quarter.

Rookie watch

First-round pick Jase Richardson entered halfway through the first quarter and was a big reason for Orlando’s scoring surge in the second frame.

The No. 25 pick scored all seven of his first-half points in the second quarter by hitting all three of his shots from floor, including a corner triple near the end of the shot clock, during the frame.

He drained his second triple late in the third quarter and finished with 12 points and four assists in 27 minutes.

“He was big time,” Mosley said about Richardson. “He did a great job with his energy, his effort [and] his toughness being able to push the pace.”

Banchero meets Bonta

Prior to Sunday’s game, Banchero met with Blake Bonta, a 12-year-old from Iowa who has been battling brain cancer since January 2023.

Bonta, who is now in the recovery stage, has helped raised over $100,000 for pediatric brain cancer research while going through treatments.

“Just want to wish you the best,” Banchero said in a video message sent to Bonta when he invited him to the game. “Stay strong.”

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