ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Jalen Suggs hit two free throws with 9.8 seconds left and the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 94-90 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten at home.
Orlando is 6-0 at home this season and has won 13 in a row overall at home.
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Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, left, goes up for a shot against Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) makes a move against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) loses control of the ball as he is fouled going between Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, back center, and center Myles Turner, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, right, takes a shot as Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) drives past Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle directs his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley calls out to players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) looks for a shot against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 29 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 23 points — scoring 12 straight Pacers points late in the fourth quarter — and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had with nine points and 12 assists.
Goga Bitadze added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic. Anthony Black came off the bench for six points, six assists, four steals and a block.
Pacers: The Pacers survived a scoreless half by Haliburton to lead 45-41, but the NBA’s third-best 3-point shooting team could not survive 10-for-30 shooting from behind the arc.
Magic: The Magic relied on defense (10 blocks, eight steals, 38% Indiana shooting).
The Pacers had a four-point lead and momentum in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter when Black blocked a layup by Johnny Furphy, igniting a 13-1 Orlando run. Indiana did not score in the fourth quarter until Siakam hit a 3-pointer at 7:26.
Bitadze, Jonathan Isaac (11) and rookie Tristan daSilva (9) led Orlando to a 50-41 rebounding advantage.
The Pacers return home to face Miami on Friday night. The Magic host Philadelphia on on Friday night.
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Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, left, goes up for a shot against Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) makes a move against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) loses control of the ball as he is fouled going between Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, back center, and center Myles Turner, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, right, takes a shot as Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) drives past Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle directs his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley calls out to players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) looks for a shot against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI is investigating an early Wednesday attack in which a U.S. Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people. The driver had posted videos on social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said.
The FBI identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.
Officials have not yet released the names of the people killed in the attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. About 30 people were injured.
Here is the latest:
U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening the FBI was looking into whether an explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump was connected to the New Orleans attack.
Fireworks and camp fuel canisters were found in a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle.
The person who died in the explosion was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.
The truck explosion came hours after a driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. An official told the AP that there is no apparent overlap in their assignments there.
The investigation so far has not shown the incidents are related, and authorities don’t think the men knew each other, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
▶ Read more about the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion
The FBI says it recovered the black banner of the Islamic State group from the truck that smashed into New Year’s partygoers. The investigation is expected to look in part at any support or inspiration that driver Shamsud-Din Jabbar may have drawn from that violent Middle East-based group or from any of at least 19 affiliated groups around the world.
Routed from its self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq by a U.S. military-led coalition more than five years ago, IS has focused on seizing territory in the Middle East more than on staging massive al-Qaida-style attacks on the West.
But in its home territory, IS has welcomed any chance to behead Americans and other foreigners who come within its reach. The main group at peak strength claimed a handful of coordinated operations targeting the West, including a 2015 Paris plot that killed 130 people. It has had success, although abated in recent years, in inspiring people around the world who are drawn to its ideology to carry out ghastly attacks on innocent civilians.
▶ Read more about IS and what attacks it has inspired
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry will be joined at the news conference by officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department.
The conference is scheduled to begin around 10:15 a.m. CST.
“The Superdome is completely secure,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on Fox News. “Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state.”
Landry said he plans to attend Thursday afternoon’s college football playoff game between the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame.
“We need not let fear paralyze us,” Landry added. “That’s the problem in this country. When we do that, the terrorists win.”
ROME — A telegram of condolences, addressed to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, said Francis was saddened to learn of the attack in New Orleans and was spiritually close to the city.
Francis “prays for healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved,” said the telegram, which was signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Separately, Italian President Sergio Mattarella also sent condolences to President Joe Biden, whom he will see during Biden’s visit to Rome next week, saying all of Italy was mourning the loss of life.
“At this time of sorrow for the American people, I would like to reaffirm the firm resolve of the Italian Republic to oppose in the strongest terms all forms of terrorism, on the basis of those values of civilization, democracy and respect for human life that have always been shared with the United States,” he said in a statement.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed by a day because of the truck attack, which unfolded about a mile away.
The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST at the 70,000-seat Superdome on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner advances to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Penn State.
“Public safety is paramount,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a media briefing alongside federal, state and local officials, including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game.”
The decision to postpone the game meant numerous traveling fans with tickets would not be able to attend. Ticket prices online plummeted in some cases to less than $25 as fans with plans to depart on Thursday tried to unload them.
The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning. Both teams spent most of the day in their hotels, holding meetings in ballrooms.
▶ Read more about the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.
Here’s a look at some of what we know:
▶ Read more about the victims of the New Orleans truck attack
Authorities say the driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people and injuring about 30 others. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police.
The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone.
Wednesday’s attack unfolded on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. Large crowds had also gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, which had been scheduled for later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The game was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.
▶ Catch up on what we know about the New Orleans truck attack
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency personnel work the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Matthias Hauswirth of New Orleans prays on the street near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A bouquet of flowers stands at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street during the investigation after a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of revelers early on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
An officer walks along Conti Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Law enforcement officers stand behind a SWAT vehicle near a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Neighbors stand and watch outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Police officers stand near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Neighbors embrace as they stand outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
