Desmond Bane delivered his most forceful performance since arriving in Orlando, and head coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear how much it mattered. The Orlando Magic closed out NBA Cup East Group B play with a 112–109 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, fueled by Bane’s 37-point outburst and a tone-setting approach that Mosley described as “a dog” mentality.
Mosley said Bane established the standard from the moment he stepped onto the court.
“I told him in there, he just found a way. He’s just, he’s a dog. He finds a way to go get it,” Mosley said. “He was doing whatever it took to go get this game from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. It actually started for him basically before the jump ball in the beginning of the game. I think that’s where he was locked into where he was gonna set the tone right away.”
Bane finished with 37 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal while shooting 13-for-25 from the field and 11-for-12 from the free throw line across 39 minutes. His assertiveness, physicality and shot creation were at the center of Orlando’s game plan, particularly after the Magic’s earlier loss in Detroit on Oct. 29, when Bane struggled with 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting.
“I mean last time we played here we got punked,” Bane said. “We wanna rewrite the story. I was talking to my lady about the chit chat that was going on before the last game and I wanna make sure that I was the aggressor.”
Desmond Bane cites his motivation vs. Pistons for driving dominant performance
He added that both motivation and familiarity fueled his rhythm.
“Just I think motivation to play this game. Last time we played them we’re still trying to figure ourselves out as a team and you know, they were chirping and doing what they do so we wanted to come in and make sure that we was the one setting the tone tonight.”
Bane described the matchup as having postseason intensity, noting the physicality and urgency reflected the high stakes of NBA Cup group play.
“Yeah, I think the energy and the physicality was similar – there was implications on the game so glad that we got out of it with a win and I think that it’s gonna help us down the stretch,” Bane said. “I was talking to Tyus a little bit about our execution in the fourth quarter down the stretch and some things that we can clean up.”
The 27-year-old guard has been a significant addition to Orlando’s roster, averaging 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 44.1% from the field and a career-best 92.6% from the free-throw line across 20 games. The Magic have transformed offensively this season, climbing to seventh in the NBA at 119.3 points per game after ranking 28th last year.
Magic advance to NBA Cup quarterfinals, set to host Heat at Kia Center
Orlando’s win over Detroit secured a perfect 4–0 record in East Group B, advancing the team to the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Magic will host the Miami Heat on Dec. 9 at the Kia Center.
“Man, it’s fantastic, you know, we got some great fans,” Bane said. “We’re gonna need all of them, we’re gonna need everybody to come show up, come cheer us on and help us advance, get to Vegas. Something that we’ve talked about since we played some of our first cup games and we’re in a good spot to make it happen.”
Mosley echoed the excitement surrounding the opportunity to play a high-stakes game in front of the home crowd.
“We’re so happy to be home. I mean we have some of the best fans in the NBA and I think they’re gonna be back there supporting us, ready to go,” Mosley said. “We’ll enjoy this one right now because this was a tough game versus a tough opponent that’s been playing great basketball.”
With the victory, the Magic improved to 12–8 and will begin a four-game homestand on Monday against the Chicago Bulls.
