This season is starting to feel awfully similar to last for the Orlando Magic. They couldn't seem to get their entire team healthy towards the start of the new campaign; with Paolo Banchero back from injury, it was Franz Wagner's turn to go to the mend with an ankle injury that looked so much worse at first glance.

But the Magic are nothing if not resilient, and on Monday night, in NBA Cup quarterfinals action against the Miami Heat, they managed to pull out the victory — thanks in large part to another incredible effort from offseason blockbuster trade acquisition, Desmond Bane.

Bane has had his fair share of stinkers in a Magic uniform, but the performance he put up on Tuesday is exactly why the Magic set out to acquire him in the first place. He put up 37 points on 14-24 shooting from the field (6-9 from deep) to go along with six rebounds and five assists to lead Orlando to a 117-108 win.

“Winning time. Winning time, you know what I'm saying? That's all I care about, is winning,” Bane said in his postgame interview, via the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).

Bane scored 15 of the Magic's 28 points in the final frame to ward off any comeback attempt from the Heat, and it's his versatility as a scorer, as well as proficiency from deep, that makes him such a crucial piece for Orlando for the long haul.

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Magic are two wins away from NBA Cup supremacy

© Mike Watters-Imagn Images
© Mike Watters-Imagn Images

While winning an NBA championship trumps all other accomplishments in the league, winning the NBA Cup is still a major source of pride. It also bands teams together, considering how the cash prize is evenly distributed into the entire team — helping those at the end of the roster as well as the team staff.

The Magic are now awaiting the winner of the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors' quarterfinal clash for their semifinal contest in Vegas.