Paolo Banchero's game-winner crushed the Brooklyn Nets' hearts during Wednesday's 104-103 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic. However, for Nets fans, Egor Demin was the story of the night.

Demin was an afterthought for the first 44 minutes of the game. Then, he flipped a switch, nearly propelling Brooklyn to an improbable comeback victory. After he was scoreless through three quarters, the rookie scored 18 of Brooklyn's final 24 points on 5-of-5 shooting from three across the final three minutes of regulation and overtime.

Demin drained a game-tying three with 5.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. He then hit a go-ahead three with 1:07 left in the extra period before banking in another triple to give Brooklyn the lead with 5.3 seconds remaining. However, Banchero played spoiler, banking in a three of his own at the buzzer to win the game.

Demin's three overtime threes are the most by a player in Nets franchise history. He is the first rookie since Kevin Durant (2008) to hit two threes to tie or take the lead in the final 30 seconds of a fourth quarter or overtime in a single game.

“In high school or when I was a kid, I was shooting alone in the gym and thinking about moments like this,” Demin said following his historic performance. “Going through things like I'm hitting the game-winning shot and five threes in a row or whatever it is. This was one of those moments that I was manifesting when I was a kid. It felt really, really good. But again, we didn't get a win, so it doesn't really matter anymore… But [the experience] means a lot, not just for me, but for everyone. As many games as we can play like this, it's gonna be very, very helpful.”

Wednesday's loss isn't the first time Demin has made up for early struggles with clutch shotmaking this season.

Egor Demin continues to come through in clutch during rookie campaign with Nets

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Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) celebrates his three point shot against the Orlando Magic with teammates during overtime at Barclays Center.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 19-year-old is 10-of-13 (76.9%) from three in the final 10 minutes of games within five points. That's the second-highest three-point percentage in the tracking era (since 1996-97) among players with over 10 attempts in such situations, behind only Malcolm Brogdon (15-of-18 – 88.3 percent), per Stathead.

“I always kind of felt comfortable in these types of situations growing up,” Demin said of his clutch shotmaking. “It’s almost like if I had a rough game, the end of the game would be kind of easier for me to get this energy up. Because I’m like, if not me, who else? Obviously, the situation is different here. There's a lot of people [to do it] if it's not me. But I was lucky enough today to get those opportunities and get those shots up. Hopefully, it's a result of my work in the gym shooting the ball.”

While concerns remain about Demin's limited off-the-dribble juice, his three-point shooting, defense and decision-making have allowed him to have a positive impact as a rookie. The Nets are 9.2 points better per 100 possessions with Demin on the court than off, the best mark among all rookies and the 18th-best in the NBA (minimum 500 minutes), per CleaningTheGlass.

The No. 8 pick's clutch performance has added to the organization's excitement about his potential.

“Special players can do those things,” Jordi Fernandez said of Demin after Wednesday's loss. “We're seeing him now as a 19-year-old rookie, and he’s able to make those shots in the 4th quarter. It's going to get harder because teams will know and probably put more pressure [on him], but he's a smart player, and he'll use that pressure against teams. There’s a lot we can work on with him because his ceiling is very, very high. The player that we believe he is. But there’s something we cannot teach. And it's those moments. And he has it in him.”