Andrew Nicholson provides spark in first half of opener

Magic forward Andrew Nicholson provided a spark off the bench early on during Tuesday's season opener against the Pacers in Indianapolis.

Nicholson checked into the game late in the first quarter for Jason Maxiell, who got the start. He kept the team in the game during first half as he exploded for 12 points in the second quarter and finished the first half with 18 points.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn kept Nicholson on the bench for the entire third quarter. He played the final quarter of the game but only grabbed one rebound and missed his only shot attempt -- a layup with 5:22 remaining in the game. He went 8 of 10 shooting from the field and finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds and a steal while logging 19 minutes of game action in a 97-87 defeat.