Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane discussed the momentum the team has built amid a three-game winning streak ahead of Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Orlando Magic have an opportunity to enter the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak on Wednesday as they host the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in a 48-hour span.
Orlando has won its last three games as part of this four-game home stand against the Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and the Bucks on Monday. Before Wednesday’s game, Magic guard Desmond Bane discussed the importance of going 4-0 at home.
“I think it would be huge,” Bane said after Wednesday’s shoot around. “You know, we talk about it all season long, regardless of what point of the season we're at or how things are going. You know, you got to protect home court.”
At 17-8, the Magic possess the third-best home record in the Eastern Conference going into Wednesday’s contest. With a 28-24 overall record, they own the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It's what good teams do,” Bane added. “And, you know, I thought that we've come out and played a little bit better basketball over this stretch. With Utah, we kind of had our ups and downs in that game. And even last game against Milwaukee, things kind of weren't going our way in the first half.
But I thought our process was right. We didn't make a lot of shots, but the ball was moving. You know, I think we held them to 50 points or 54 points or something like that; that's where we want to be on the defensive end.”
Currently, the state of the Eastern Conference is a tight race, and the Magic are constructing enough momentum to improve their positioning in the standings. For Bane and his teammates, there is no room to let what they have built slip ahead of the break.
“I mean, it's like you go out there, and you leave everything you have on the court and you got seven days rest after,” he said.
Apart from rookie guard Jase Richardson participating in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, no other player on the roster will be participating in All-Star weekend. According to Bane, the upcoming time off provides even more reason to play with maximum effort on Wednesday.
“So, it's one of them things where it's like it's not time to check out. It's time to get even more because you don't have to get on a plane after or prepare for another team in two days. So, it's a freeing feeling knowing that you can leave it all out there.”
Orlando has experienced peaks and valleys through its first 52 games, and while highlighting that no season is perfect, Bane emphasized what kind of team he wants the Magic to be.
“Being the kind of team that other teams hate to play,” Bane said. “I think that starts with your mentality, you know, and understanding that and taking pride in that; that is the way that we play and that's something that we can hang our hat and our hat on night in and night out, regardless of the outcome, you know, and really feel good about that and knowing that that can give us an opportunity to win games every night.”