After a difficult start, the Orlando Magic have now posted the best defense in the NBA over the past five weeks. With Desmond Bane leading the offense, the team has become challenging to beat.
Bane scored 35 points, including a crucial three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining, in the Magic’s 128-122 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This win propelled Orlando into fifth place, highlighting two key factors driving the Magic’s successful offense.
Desmond Bane’s Impressive Scoring and Ball Control
The Magic have a record of 11-4 in their last 15 games, with Bane averaging 25.3 points per game. He has been hitting 46.6 percent of his three-point attempts during this period, which has been crucial for the team’s outside shooting.
Bane also excels in protecting the basketball. He had no turnovers in Wednesday’s game and is averaging just 1.6 turnovers per game, compared to 4.1 assists, over the last 15 games. As a team, the Magic are recording the lowest turnover rate in the league. Despite their slower pace, they rank third in assist-to-turnover ratio since February 3.
The combination of strong defense and few turnovers gives the Magic more scoring opportunities — they have a +2.3 turnover ratio during this successful stretch. Thanks to Bane and second-year forward Tristan da Silva, the team has improved its three-point shooting, moving from below-average to average, a notable improvement.