When the Orlando Magic acquired shooting guard Desmond Bane of Richmond, Indiana from the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason in a blockbuster deal, they were simply expecting something magical. I am not sure if anyone anticipated that the magic would come so soon.
On Monday night in a 115-112 Magic win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Bane came through with an impressive game-winning buzzer beater from 27 feet to break a 112-112 deadlock. The buzzer beater from downtown was the longest buzzer beater of the season, and helped the Magic improve to a record of five wins and six losses.
Small forward Franz Wagner of Berlin, Germany picked up the assist on the Bane buzzer beater. Wagner is hoping for a healthy season after missing significant time a year ago with a torn oblique.
In the Magic win over the Trail Blazers on Monday, Bane scored 22 points and had seven assists, three rebounds, and was a +1. He had a field goal percentage of .474, three point percentage of .167, and made all three free throws.
For the season, Bane is averaging 14.9 points per game, 4.4 assists per game, and 4.1 rebounds per game. He has a field goal percentage of .437, three point percentage of .277, and a free throw percentage of .871.
In an amazing Monday night of basketball, Bane was actually one of two players to deliver a buzzer beater for a Southeast Division team. The other was former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins of Toronto, Ontario, who accomplished the feat with a dunk in a 140-138 Miami Heat overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
