INDIANAPOLIS _ If a single sequence embodied the offensive ineptitude on display Monday night between the Orlando Magic and the Indiana Pacers, then it occurred midway through the first quarter.
Magic forward Jeff Green received a pass in the left corner and launched a 3-pointer.
His attempt clanged flush off the left side of the backboard.
Orlando had too many moments like that.
Undone by their poor shooting and their complete lack of offensive rhythm, the Magic fell to the Pacers 88-69 in Frank Vogel's first game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since the Pacers didn't renew his contract in May.
The Magic made only 32.1 percent of their shots as starting big men Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic combined to go 4 for 24 from the field.
The Magic were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and they appeared to have tired legs. Just one night earlier, the Magic posted their best scoring night of the season, winning an emotional road game over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-117.
The Magic made 53.5 percent of their attempts against the Thunder and also received 31 points from Ibaka as he returned to Oklahoma City to face the team that gave him his start in the NBA.
Energy coursed through the arena _ and the Magic _ that night.
Not so on Monday.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse perhaps was only one-third full when the public-address announcer introduced Vogel during the pregame introductions. The fans in attendance cheered Vogel, but the building was so empty that the moment failed to convey much emotion.
The subsequent first half was just as dull.
Each team generated leads of six points but couldn't pull away any further.
Indiana (5-6) played a bit better than Orlando (4-7) during the half, but the Magic's offensive output was a low bar for the Pacers to clear.
Paul George, the Pacers' superstar forward who is close to Vogel, returned from a one-game absence due to a left-ankle sprain. George wasn't anywhere close to his typically effective self, but he didn't need to play like an All-Star. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Ibaka followed his electric performance against the Thunder with a dud, going just three for 13 from the field to score six points to go along with 13 rebounds.
Vucevic, the Magic's starting center, looked even more out-of-sync. Vucevic made only one of his 10 shot attempts and finished with just two points.
The Magic have struggled with their offense almost the entire season. They entered Monday morning ranked 29th in the league in field-goal percentage, having made only 41.9 percent of their shot attempts.
They looked even more off-kilter than usual on Monday night.
The Magic seemed to lack energy and sharpness following their win the night before. They also failed to move the ball well enough. They relied instead on too much one-on-one play, a major negative for a team without a go-to scorer.
Orlando cut Indiana's lead to 50-48 during the third quarter on a tip-in by Ibaka off a miss by Evan Fournier.
The Pacers closed the period on a 21-9 run.
The Magic made only two of their 10 shot attempts during that decisive stretch. Meanwhile, George and point guard Jeff Teague scored six points apiece for the Pacers.
Normally, a 71-57 deficit at the start of a fourth quarter isn't too large for an NBA team to overcome.
But it was for the Magic.
During a break in the game with 8:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, an in-game emcee asked the announced crowd of 14,825 to participate in the Mannequin Challenge _ a fad in which people remain motionless while a video is recorded.
Most fans complied.
The scene was about as dull as the game that they were watching.
