ORLANDO, Fla. -- Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are peaking at just the right time.

The playoffs are within reach once again.

George scored a game-high 37 points and the Pacers won their third consecutive game in impressive fashion, pounding the Orlando Magic 127-112 on Saturday night at the Amway Center.

The Pacers (40-40) finish the season with the 76ers on Monday and the Hawks on Wednesday. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is two, as they lead both the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat by one game.

The Magic (28-52) will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

"We're playing our best basketball of the season right now," George said. "And that feels good. We're in a good rhythm. It took us full season to get here, but we're moving in the right direction."

Indiana center Myles Turner had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Thaddeus Young scored 14 points and C.J. Miles and Kevin Seraphin each had 11.

Terrance Ross led the Magic with 29 points and Evan Fournier had 23 points while making 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Aaron Gordon had 17 points and Elfrid Payton added 10 points and 10 assists.

George, who has averaged 31 points in his last six games, hit 14-of-22 shots Saturday. Young made 7-of-8 and Turner made 10-of-13 shots. The Pacers shot 59.3 percent (51-of-86) from the field and outrebounded the Magic, 45-33.

"We knew we were in a situation where we had to keep winning, and we responded," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "The ball movement was good all night long. We're screening, we're spacing, we are getting good shots. We continue to elevate our game each quarter, which is what you need to do this time of the season."

The Pacers are trying to reach the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

"This was big, huge tonight," George said. "We did what we're supposed to do tonight. We handled our business, and we kept our hopes alive."

Miles opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer for a 20-point lead and the Magic never got closer than 12. They played poor defensively throughout the game.

"It was a disappointing performance by our guys," said Magic coach Frank Vogel, who was fired by the Pacers after last season. "We were terrible on the defensive end. I challenged them every timeout, and every huddle and at halftime to raise their level. We never got them (Pacers) under control. Credit the Pacers for playing a great game."

The Pacers led, 99-82, going into the final period when Lance Stephenson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close the third quarter. He finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Stephenson, the combative veteran who was signed by the Pacers on March 30, has been credited by George and McMillan as being a catalyst for the late-season surge.

"Lance has given us life and he's give us new excitement to the team," George said. "He's helped take a lot of pressure off me."

The Magic had cut the deficit to just four points -- the closest they got in the second half -- midway in the third when Ross hit three free throws.

George, who had 22 points in the first half, opened the second half by scoring the first five points, prompting a Magic timeout just 40 seconds into the third quarter.

The Pacers led, 68-59 at intermission when they shot 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the field and outrebounded the Magic 22-15.

The Magic hit their first six 3-point attempts, including three by Ross in the first 2:05 when they jumped ahead, 9-2. That was their biggest lead of the game.

Turner dominated around the basket early with 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots before intermission. Fournier had 14 points and Ross 13 in the first half.

NOTES: It was a hot-shooting start for both teams Saturday. The Pacers shot 62.5 percent in the first quarter while the Magic shot 58.3 percent. ... The Pacers won all three of the previous meetings with the Magic this season, and all by at least 10 points. ... Pacers reserve C Al Jefferson was active Saturday after missing the last five games with a sprained left ankle but he did not play. Magic G Evan Fournier returned after missing one game with a sore wrist. ... Although they are battling to hold a playoff position, Pacers coach Nate McMillan said before the game he isn't paying any attention to those teams jockeying with his team. "We can't worry about what other teams are doing," McMillan said. ... The Pacers have struggled throughout this season with games away from home. They came to Orlando having lost their previous eight road games by an average of 11.9 points.