ORLANDO, Fla. _ The Orlando Magic entered their game Monday night against the Indiana Pacers knowing they needed to improve their ball movement.
Perhaps they tried too hard.
The Magic turned the ball over 22 times, and they paid a price for their carelessness.
Orlando lost 105-97, extending its losing streak to five games and dropping below .500 for the first time this season.
Former Magic guard Victor Oladipo, in his first season with the Pacers, scored a game-high 29 points, gathered nine rebounds, collected seven steals and recorded his fifth, and final, assist when his teammates needed a critical boost.
The Pacers took a 95-84 lead with 3:13 to play when Thaddeus Young banked in a floater off the glass.
But the Magic went on an 11-3 run, culminating with a 3-pointer by Evan Fournier and a turnaround, fadeaway jumper by Aaron Gordon. Fournier's and Gordon's baskets cut the deficit to 98-95 with 49 seconds left in the game,
Pacers coach Nate McMillan called a timeout.
On the ensuing possession, Oladipo drove underneath the hoop and kicked the ball out to Bojan Bogdanovic on the perimeter. Bogdanovic swished a 3-pointer, extending the Pacers' lead to 101-95.
Bogdanovic scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half.
The Magic needed to show some grit Monday. Two nights earlier, they lost to the Utah Jazz, 125-85, and showed no fight as they lost their fourth consecutive game. The Magic never led, trailed by as many as 46 points and just looked plain awful.
On Monday, Orlando struggled to take care of the basketball, especially early in the game. The team committed 14 first-half turnovers.
The Pacers scored 26 points off the Magic's 22 giveaways.
But at least the Magic played with more energy than they did on Saturday night.
During the final minute of the first half, Elfrid Payton threw an errant pass that Bogdanovic intercepted. But just seconds later, Payton grabbed a poor pass by Indiana's Darren Collison, and Payton scored on a driving layup, giving Orlando a 55-50 lead to end the half.
The game turned in the third quarter.
The Magic were leading 65-60, but the Pacers went on a 18-3 run. The Magic suddenly went cold, making only one of their 10 shot attempts during the stretch and turned the ball over three times.
Orlando (8-9) needed to beat Indiana (10-8).
On Wednesday, the Magic begin a four-game road trip to play the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Pacers. Two home games will follow against two difficult opponents, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors. After that, the Magic will play a challenging road back-to-back against the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets.
The stretch is so difficult that Magic lead assistant coach Chad Forcier refers to this stretch as the "vortex" of the team's schedule, Magic coach Frank Vogel said.
Indiana opened an 81-72 lead early in the fourth quarter when Bogdanovic sank a 3-pointer on the first possession of the period.
But Orlando eventually stabilized itself.
D.J. Augustin sank a 3-pointer to cut the Magic's deficit to 85-81.
McMillan called a timeout, and his team responded, receiving a 3-pointer from Young and a transition layup from Cory Joseph.
Suddenly, the Magic trailed again by nine points, 90-81, with 6:52 to play.
A short while later, Bismack Biyombo missed a pair of free throws.
On the Pacers' ensuing possession, Bogdanovic swished another 3-pointer, extending the Pacers' lead to 11 points.
