Desmond Bane is locked in for the Orlando Magic. With Franz Wagner nursing an ankle injury that looked so much worse than his eventual diagnosis, the Magic needed Bane to step up — especially with Paolo Banchero still on a minutes restriction. And that's exactly what Bane did, as he poured in 37 points, five rebounds, and six assists to lead Orlando to a 117-108 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in NBA Cup quarterfinals action.
Bane was playing like someone owed him money and the only way to get it back was to beat the Heat. That may not be too far off from what was going through the Magic guard's mind. After all, Bane was recently fined for his hilariously odd throw of the ball straight onto OG Anunoby's back during their 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.
“Oh, [the extra money's huge], man. I just lost $35,000 so I gotta go get it back somehow, you know what I'm saying?” Bane said in a deadpan manner in his postgame presser, via Underdog NBA on X (formerly Twitter).
Desmond Bane on advancing to NBA Cup Semifinals:
“I just lost $35,000. I gotta go get it back somehow.” pic.twitter.com/FCrwU83zMl
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 10, 2025
The way Bane said that makes it seem as though the Magic guard is indeed counting every penny that goes in and out of his bank account. On a related note, Bane is set to make around $197.2 million over the life of his current contract to go along with the $9.9 million he already bagged from his rookie contract.
Desmond Bane and the Magic await winner of Knicks-Raptors clash
The Magic will be heading to Vegas to vie even further for NBA Cup supremacy, and they will be facing off against the winner of the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors' clash on the other side of the bracket.
The Magic have won two of their three games against the Knicks this year, while they are yet to face the Raptors.
