Two teams who started their preseason with losses will face each other Thursday as the Indiana Pacers host the Orlando Magic at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers began their preseason with a 110–105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans last Saturday but bounced back Tuesday with a close 115–112 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Former All-Star forward Paul George starred in both games for Indiana and is having a breakout start to his year.
George is returning from a horrible leg injury suffered in August 2014 while participating in a Team USA scrimmage before the Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball (FIBA) World Cup.
In the defeat to New Orleans, the 25-year-old forward scored a team-leading 18 points with five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 24 minutes of action.
George followed it up with another great performance against the Pistons where he also played in 24 minutes but had 32 points, two rebounds, and one steal.
The two-time All-Star already said during their media day ahead of the preseason that he wants to be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) this season and if he can carry over to the regular season the performance he is having now, that goal is not far from reach.
Meanwhile, Orlando also lost their season opener 106–100 facing the Charlotte Hornets last Saturday.
But Orlando will have the chance to bounce back Wednesday against the Miami Heat before visiting the Pacers this Thursday.
In their loss to the Hornets, third-year forward Andrew Nicholson led the Magic exploding for 23 points, also having eight rebounds, and two assists.
Helping Nicholson was high-flying guard Victor Oladipo who dropped 16 points while also grabbing five rebounds, dishing out three assists, and one steal.
The clash of the East's Pacers and Magic will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:00 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
