The Miami Heat seized early control Tuesday night with a 15-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in their quarterfinal matchup to tip off the NBA Cup.
But as it tends to be the case with double-digit leads in the NBA, the advantage was not safe. Sparked by Desmond Bane, the Magic rallied to take their first lead of the game at 47-46 before halftime. By the fourth quarter, they were in full control of a 117-108 victory.
With the win, the Magic advance to the semifinal round of the NBA Cup against the winner of Tuesday’s late game between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
Bane continues to ascend from slow start with Magic
After scoring two first-quarter points, Bane finished with 37 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The former Memphis sharpshooter had his best shooting night since joining the Magic this season while shooting 14 of 24 from the floor and 6 of 9 from 3.
Bane sparked Orlando’s second quarter rally with 10 points as the Magic outscored the Heat, 39-27 in the stanza. And he helped keep the Heat at bay after halftime with 4 made 3-pointers on 5 attempts.
Following a rocky start to his Magic career, Tuesday’s performance marked Bane’s third 37-point effort in his last six games.
Hobbled Magic need Bane to keep it up
The Magic have needed the production from Bane amid injuries to their veteran stars. All-Star Paolo Banchero previously missed 10 games with a groin strain. He was back for a third straight game Tuesday night with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. But star forward Franz Wagner missed the first game of what’s projected as a multi-week absence with a high-ankle sprain.
Despite the injuries, the Magic are off to a 15-10 start that was good for fourth place in the East at the conclusion of Tuesday’s game and in position to win the NBA Cup. They’ll need continued strong play from Bane to maintain their pace.
By advancing to the semifinals, each full-time player on the Magic roster earned a $106,187 paycheck via a pay scale that escalates with each subsequent round of the NBA Cup. The championship-winning players will earn $530,933, a nice payday by any account and a substantial raise for anyone playing on the league minimum $1.366 million salary.
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