By ANDREW CHERNOFF
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
There are many memorable moments during the holiday season.
And one of those moments happened on Saturday night during the Indiana Pacers game against the Orlando Magic.
In the first quarter, a fan had a chance to win $25,000 by making a half-court shot. And sure enough, he did.
That fan, Matthew Crittendon, made the Hoosier Lottery Half-Court Shot. As a result, the fans inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse went crazy as Crittendon celebrated.
Even Pacers guard T.J. McConnell came over to Crittendon to congratulate him on making the shot.
Even the Pacers posted on their official X account, formally known as Twitter, that they loved the fan’s celebration.
The Magic would ultimately win the game on Saturday night, beating the Pacers 117-110. It was the second time this season that Orlando has won inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 34 points. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Meanwhile, the Pacers were led by guard Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 29 points and had 14 assists. It was Haliburton’s 20th double-double of the season.
It was Indiana’s sixth loss in its last seven games. The blue and gold are now 14-14 overall on the season. It’s the first time Indiana has been .500 since Nov. 3 when they were just 2-2.
“We are what our record is right now,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “We’re a .500 team. We’ve had high highs and we’ve had low lows and we’ve got to become more consistent. We’re making some strides on defense. It’s the third game in a row where we’ve held opponents under 120, which is progress for us. We’ve got to continue with that.”