Pacers face Magic team enduring a historic new-year collapse
The Orlando Magic are out of playoff contention, carrying a 31-43 record into their Thursday night matchup with the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. And it's largely because of a post-December collapse of historic proportions.
Even after winning their last two games, the Magic have won only 12 of 42 games since the calendar turned to 2016. In the history of the game, only four teams have endured a larger drop-off from pre-January record to post-December.
LARGEST DECREASE IN WIN PERCENTAGE, PRE-JANUARY VS. REST OF SEASON
| Season-Team | Pre-January* | Jan. 1 and after | Differential |
| 1948-49 Washington Capitols | 22-4 (.846) | 16-18 (.471) |
.375 |
| 1975-76 Atlanta Hawks | 17-13 (.567) | 12-40 (.231) | .336 |
| 2010-11 Utah Jazz |
22-11 (.667) | 17-32 (.347) | .320 |
| 2000-01 Cleveland Cavaliers | 16-12 (.571) | 14-40 (.259) | .312 |
| 2015-16 Orlando Magic |
19-13 (.594) | 12-30 (.286) | .308 |
| * Minimum 20 games pre-January |
The Pacers have defeated the Magic seven straight times and 11 of the last 12 overall in this series. A 10-game winning streak against the Pelicans is Indiana's only longer active win streak. Several statistics -- none more than their rebounding advantage -- point to why the Pacers have dominated the Magic of late.
MAGIC VS. PACERS, HEAD TO HEAD OVER LAST SEVEN GAMES
| Statistic | Orlando Magic |
Indiana Pacers |
| Wins | 0 | 7 |
| Points per game | 89.4 | 102.9 |
| Field-goal percentage | .416 | .474 |
| 3-pt. field-goal percentage | .288 | .402 |
| Rebounds per game |
39.7 | 47.0 |
| Second-chance points per game | 8.6 | 11.7 |
MOST LOSSES THIS SEASON WHEN LEADING AT ANY POINT IN FOURTH QUARTER
| Team | Losses |
| Indiana Pacers | 20 |
| Denver Nuggets | 19 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 19 |
| Orlando Magic |
17 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 16 |
HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF PACERS' POINTS IN A SEASON
| Season | Player | Percent of team points |
| 1976-77 | Billy Knight | 23.7 |
| 2015-16 | Paul George | 23.0 |
| 1989-90 |
Reggie Miller |
22.5 |
| 1996-97 | Reggie Miller |
22.4 |
| 2013-14 | Paul George | 21.9 |
