Miami was ahead 49-42 when Desmond Bane connected from deep midway through the second quarter. Before halftime, he had made four threes in the period and Orlando had taken control.
The Magic’s 136-115 preseason victory Friday at Kia Center began to turn while the game was still competitive, with Bane providing the sudden scoring that made Paolo Banchero’s steady trips to the foul line even more valuable.
That distinction matters more than the final margin. Bane scored 23 points by making 7 of 12 from 3-point range, while Banchero finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Banchero’s field-goal line was 5-for-11, but 13-for-16 free-throw shooting gave him a substantial scoring base without requiring an especially prolific night from the field.
Bane’s second-quarter burst gave the game its clearest change of direction. Miami led 49-42 when Bane hit a 24-footer with 7:16 left in the half. He added another 24-footer at 5:21, cutting the gap to 53-50.
A 23-footer tied the score at 58 with 3:46 remaining, and another 23-footer put Orlando ahead 68-60 at 1:44. Those baskets were separated by other possessions rather than arriving as one uninterrupted barrage, but each one moved the scoreboard toward the Magic.
The broader shooting numbers show why his night was more than a pleasant statistical decoration. Orlando made 17 of 43 3-point attempts, with Bane responsible for seven of those makes. Miami made 15 of 52 from outside. The Magic did not need every perimeter shot to fall, but they converted enough of them to make Bane’s accuracy matter within a broader team performance.
Banchero supplied a different kind of stability. His 13 made free throws accounted for more than half his scoring, and Orlando as a whole went 31-for-42 at the line. Miami made 12 of 19.
That 19-point difference in made free throws was nearly as large as the entire 21-point final margin, while both teams made 44 field goals. The arithmetic says Orlando created separation at the stripe, not that it won through superior field-goal volume.
There were useful supporting contributions, too. Jamal Cain scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting, Tristan da Silva added 12, and Nikola Vučević produced 13 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Orlando held a 51-44 edge in player rebounds.
That was an advantage, though hardly an overwhelming one: Miami actually grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Orlando’s 12. The Magic’s depth helped them continue scoring, but the rebounding figures do not describe a one-sided battle for every extra chance.
