On the second night of a back-to-back, the Orlando Magic did not fold under the weight of a difficult double overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns the night before when it came time to face the Los Angeles Clippers. Instead, they rose to the occasion in a 111-109 victory. 

Once again, Desmond Bane delivered a big-time effort. 

After scoring 34 points and shooting 66% from the field in Saturday’s loss. Bane replicated his performance and then some on Sunday in Los Angeles — scoring 36 points to go toe-to-toe with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (37 points) and lead his team to victory. 

After the game, Bane applauded Orlando’s resilience after a difficult loss. In the past, Bane dealt with a similar experience when he was playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, and he knows the kind of toll it can take. 

“I think it's huge,” Bane said. “You know, last night was emotional. Double overtime game lost at the buzzer. I was telling some of the guys, like, I remember last year in Memphis we lost three games in a row like that and it kind of felt like that was like the backbreaker of our season just because [it’s] so emotional and you know, you're right there but you come out with a loss.  

“So, I'm really proud of our group. Thought we did it the way we wanted to do it — imposing our will, sitting down and guarding. So, it was good to see, personally.” 

It was on the Magic to hold off the Clippers as time ran down after Leonard buried a mid-range shot with 28 seconds remaining to cut Orlando’s lead to two points, and Bane was blocked with eight seconds remaining. 

The Clippers brought the ball down the floor, and Leonard got the ball to Benedict Mathurin for a clean 3-point look at the buzzer, but he could not get it to fall. 

The Magic’s defense came down to the final possession, but it was preceded by several minutes of making the right plays on that end of the floor. 

“I think that we were talking,” Bane said. “I think we were physical. Wendell coming down with huge rebounds — that was kind of the back breaker for us in Phoenix. Just couldn't finish possessions. But I thought that we did a great job of finishing possessions today and got the stops when it mattered.” 

It was the ninth time this season that Bane has scored 30-plus points; indicating that he is finding his rhythm during his first season in a Magic uniform. 

“I just think it's chemistry,” Bane said. “I mean, I was a new piece being added to the team, and we got Anthony Black who stepped up and played, you know, a different type of role this year. So, I think everything just kind of takes time, but I feel like I'm in a good spot; trusting my work and just playing hard.” 

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