Magic’s Desmond Bane collapses with buzzer-beating 3 in victory

ORLANDO, Fla. – Magic guard Desmond Bane had missed his previous five 3-point attempts Monday night and was shooting just 26 percent from behind the arc this season when he made a 3 he’ll never forget.

Bane buried his first career game-winning buzzer beater when his twisting, falling 3 over the outstretched arm of Toumani Camara helped the Magic stun the Portland Trail Blazers 115-112 to spark a wild celebration at the Kia Center.

“Probably the best winning game I’ve seen here at the Kia Center,” Orlando star forward Paolo Banchero said.

While Bane (22 points) was just 1 of 6 from 3, continuing an early-season trend of shooting struggles for the former Grizzlies star, he hopes his game-winner will help him get back on track with his new team.

“I just want to be a part of winning,” Bane said. “But I think moments like tonight really help you settle into a new situation.”

As soon as Bane took a shot in front of the Blazers bench, he was mobbed by his teammates. Banchero lifted Bane up before players piled on the grounded guard.

The Magic (5-6) traded four unprotected first-round picks, swapping first-round picks Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony for Bane last summer, believing the guard is the missing piece to get them to contention in the East — for this season and for years to come.

But Orlando started the season 1-4 and had inconsistent performances from its stars, including Bane. The shooter entered Monday averaging just 14.2 points while shooting a career-worst 29.3% from 3.

On Monday, the Magic led the Blazers by 13 with 8:57 to play despite the absence of starting point guard Jalen Suggs, who was held out for the second straight night as he continues to gain strength following knee surgery in March.

Orlando led by nine with 2:32 to play, but saw Portland go on an 11-0 run to take a 112-110 lead with 10.6 seconds left after an alley-oop by Jerami Grant while being fouled by Banchero. It could have been a crushing defeat after the Magic’s 111-107 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

Banchero responded with a driving layup while being fouled to tie the game at 112 with five seconds remaining. Banchero, however, missed his third straight free throw.

On the ensuing possession, Jrue Holiday drove but lost the ball to Banchero, who called a timeout. Franz Wagner, who inbounded the ball with 1.9 seconds remaining, initially looked for Banchero, but the Blazers had the star covered.

Bane then used a screen from Wendell Carter Jr. to break free from Holiday before catching the inbound pass, dribbling and launching his twisting and fading rainbow 3 for the win.

“It was definitely a rush of excitement,” said Banchero, who had 28 points. “Especially for me, he saved the day like that. I didn’t mean to make it so exciting.

“He’s a great player. He stayed with that the whole game. Coach [Jamahl Mosley] made a good play, gave us several options, found Desmond and knocked him down. »

According to Basketball-Reference, Bane became only the fourth player in Magic history to make a game-winning 3-pointer, joining Cole Anthony (2021), Jameer Nelson (2011) and Hedo Turkoglu (2008).