With their backs against the wall and the risk of a second loss in as many nights at stake, the Orlando Magic put the ball in Paolo Banchero’s hands to lift them to victory in the final moments of an overtime battle against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. 

He rose to the occasion. 

Banchero hit a 26-foot buzzer-beater 3-pointer with just over two seconds remaining to lift the Magic over the Nets, 104-103, after Brooklyn rookie Egor Demin hit a perimeter shot of his own to give his team the lead with just five seconds remaining. It was Banchero’s second attempt at sealing the game after he tried to pull up from 30 feet out to end the fourth quarter after Orlando watched a 14-point lead slip away.

“[I] just knew I had two seconds, enough to take a dribble or two and get to my spot,” Banchero said after the game. “And yeah, I just rose up and got a clean look and felt good coming out of my hands, and I was excited to see it go in.” 

Banchero heaved the ball up from near the top of the key and left the crowd inside Barclays Center in disbelief when it banked in. 

“It's always good to win,” he added. “So, I think that's the main thing is just getting a W. I think we made the game a little closer than we would have liked. But like I said, getting a W is what matters.” 

Banchero ended the night with 30 points and 14 rebounds, marking his third 30-plus point effort of the season. According to the team, Banchero’s buzzer beater was the fifth-made one in franchise history and the 19th buzzer beating shot overall by the Magic. 

Even after Demin’s perimeter conversion in the waning seconds brought the Nets to the precipice of victory, Banchero’s belief never wavered. 

“I think when you look up on the clock and you see it's three-some seconds left; you know that there's still a chance. And even though it is a tough instance where he makes that shot and the crowd's going crazy, it's easy to give in to that.”  

“But you just got to come to the bench, and you got to have that same belief that you can win the game. And I think just calm yourself down, breathe, and go out there and try to go win the game.” 

For the second night in a row, Orlando did not play its best basketball, but coach Jamahl Mosley is proud of the way his team battled and praised Banchero for hitting such a consequential shot. 

“I was extremely happy to see it go in,” Mosley said. “Those guys had the poise down the stretch to understand they had a foul to give. They blew up the first play; Paolo read it right, took the out route and was able to hit a heck of a shot.”  

“And I think that's big time for him, big time for this group to bounce off of a back-to-back where we didn't play our best basketball last night. But then to come in tonight and scrap the way we needed to.” 

With everything the Magic have endured this season, from tough losses to various injuries, Mosley recognizes how important a win like this is for the group. 

“It just keeps creating the resiliency that we know this group has. And it's building for the future, for what we're gonna go through. And I think anytime you can learn the lessons in a win, I think it's great. And these guys are continuing to learn these lessons about what we need to do down the stretch to start games, to come together.”  

“I think it's big for us as we continue to move forward.” 

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