Desmond Bane hit his first career game-winning buzzer beater Monday night, lifting the Orlando Magic to a thrilling 115-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The shot couldn’t have come at a better time. Bane had been ice cold from deep all night, missing his first five 3-point attempts before nailing the one that mattered most.
He launched the fadeaway over Toumani Camara’s outstretched arm as time expired, sending the Kia Center crowd into a frenzy.
The dramatic finish capped off a wild final few minutes. Orlando had been cruising with a nine-point lead with just 2:32 left on the clock.
Then Portland caught fire.
The Blazers ripped off an 11-0 run, taking a 112-110 lead with 10.6 seconds remaining after Jerami Grant converted an alley-oop tip-in while getting fouled by Paolo Banchero.
Banchero quickly made amends with a driving layup while drawing contact to tie the game at 112 with five seconds left. But he missed the free throw – his third straight miss from the line.
What happened next was pure basketball drama.
Jrue Holiday drove but lost the ball to Banchero, who called timeout. With just 1.9 seconds left, Franz Wagner inbounded the ball looking for Banchero, but the Blazers had him locked down.
That’s when Bane made his move.
Using a screen from Wendell Carter Jr. to shake free from Holiday, Bane caught the inbound pass, took one dribble, and let it fly. Nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.
“I just want to be a part of winning,” Bane said afterward. “But I think moments like tonight really help you settle into a new situation.”
The shot put Bane in elite company. He’s now just the fourth player in Magic history to hit a game-winning buzzer-beating three, joining Cole Anthony (2021), Jameer Nelson (2011), and Hedo Turkoglu (2008).
Banchero, who led all Magic scorers with 28 points on 55.6% shooting, couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Probably the best game winner I’ve seen here in the Kia Center,” he said. “It was a rush of excitement for sure, especially for me, him saving my ass like that. I didn’t want to make it that exciting.”
The moment his shot went in, Bane’s teammates mobbed him. Banchero lifted him up before players piled onto the 6-foot-5 guard right there on the court.
What makes the win even more impressive? The Magic did it without point guard Jalen Suggs, who sat out the second night of a back-to-back while still ramping up from March knee surgery.
Bane finished with 22 points and a team-high seven assists in 33 minutes. He shot a solid 47.4% overall from the floor, though he was just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc – with that one make being the only one that mattered.
The clutch shot couldn’t have come at a better time for Bane, who’s been struggling since joining Orlando. The Magic acquired him from Memphis during the offseason in a blockbuster deal, sending four unprotected first-round picks, a pick swap, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Grizzlies.
With the team starting the season 1-4 despite high expectations, some fans were questioning the trade. Bane came into Monday averaging just 14.2 points while shooting a career-worst 29.3% from three-point range.
Maybe this moment is exactly what he needed to turn things around.
The Magic will look to build on this momentum when they visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
