ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic didn’t just embrace the blackout Saturday — they turned it into a power surge.
What was supposed to be just a visual with the majority of Magic fans wearing black became something far more meaningful: a jolt of energy, urgency and, ultimately, control.
Inside a thunderous, black-clad Kia Center, where the crowd turned a mid-afternoon playoff game into something closer to a statement of belief, the Magic delivered exactly what was demanded of them after the humiliation of Game 2.
And just like that, the question that loomed over this team for three days — How would the Magic respond to a disastrous third-quarter collapse in Game 2 Wednesday night? — has an answer.
Because this wasn’t just about evening out emotions after that calamitous third quarter in Detroit; it was about proving that Game 2 was the exception, not the truth. It was about showing that the version of the Magic that controlled Game 1 for long stretches is the version that can win this series.
From the opening tip, the difference was unmistakable.
The Pistons trailed by 17 with 8:34 remaining in the fourth quarter and actually came back to take the lead with just under three minutes left. That’s when Fourth-Quarter Franz Wagner hit a mid-range jumper and then nailed a 3-pointer to put the Magic up for good.
After being rattled into 19 turnovers in Game 2, Orlando played with pace without panic — exactly what coach Jamahl Mosley demanded. The ball moved. The decisions were quicker but smarter. And most importantly, when Detroit applied pressure, the Magic didn’t fold.
And, at long last, the Magic were able to climb aboard the Bane Train on Saturday. Let’s be honest: through two games, Desmond Bane’s shooting had been a problem.
After going a combined 3 of 15 from 3-point range in Games 1 and 2, the player the Magic mortgaged four first-round picks for had yet to justify that investment in this series. Until Saturday.
Bane scored the Magic’s first basket on a reverse layup, he then hit his first 3 — and it only got better from there. Bane not only set the tone at the beginning of the game, but at crunch time when he began the fourth quarter with another 3-pointer and then drove into the land of the giants and converted a little left-handed layup with a defender draped all over him. By the time the final horn sounded, Bane had scored 25 points and tied Dennis Scott’s franchise record with seven 3-pointers.
Whether it was rhythm, confidence or simply regression to the mean, Bane finally looked like the player who carried this team through the regular season. And his shooting didn’t just help the scoreboard; it changed the spacing, opening driving lanes for Banchero and Wagner.
“I could go on and on about Desmond Bane,” Mosley said. “Because he’s such a professional, because he doesn’t rattle, because he stays the course and comes to work every single day.”
This is what the Magic envisioned when they made the blockbuster move for Bane during the offseason.
Playoff games are often decided in the details; the possessions that don’t show up in highlight reels.
And the Magic won despite their two best players Wagner and Paolo Banchero not shooting a high percentage (just 13 of 35) but finding other ways to score points and impact the game. Paolo finished with 25 points, including a fortuitous 3-pointer that bounded off the back of the rim and fell through to give the Magic an insurmountable lead with 38 seconds left. He also had 12 rebounds and nine assists while Wagner had 17 points and six assists.
Against a Pistons team that prides itself on toughness, the Magic didn’t just match that physicality; they exceeded it. Wendell Carter Jr. was a beast on the interior with 17 rebounds and 14 points.
The Magic defense put the clamps on Pistons star Cade Cunningham for much of the game, and even though Cunningham still finished with 27 points, he only made 8 of 23 shots.
Detroit is still the No. 1 seed for a reason. Cunningham is still a matchup nightmare. And the Magic are still a team searching for consistent excellence.
But Saturday mattered. Not just because Orlando now leads the series 2-1.Not just because they protected home court.