Bane tossed in third as Hawks hand Magic 127–112 defeat in Atlanta

The nighttime turned connected a third-quarter flashpoint. With 5:24 left, Onyeka Okongwu hauled successful a agelong outlet and roseate for a layup. Desmond Bane, trailing, grabbed Okongwu’s forearm to forestall the bucket. Okongwu crashed hard. As the shot popped up, Bane slammed it down onto the Hawks large man. Officials deed him with a flagrant-one for the foul and a method for directing the shot astatine Okongwu, past upgraded the series to an ejection upon review. He pushed backmost connected the call. “Hard foul,” Bane said aft the game. “I mean, we speech astir that -- nary casual baskets. Nothing astatine the rim. Make them spot the lights [on the ceiling] and hard foul. I swiped astatine the ball, and it happened to deed him and they made the telephone that they made.”

Momentum swings Atlanta’s way

Orlando trailed by 14 erstwhile the whistle tempest began and rapidly slipped to an 85–65 spread by the 5:16 mark. Bane exited with 9 points successful 22 minutes, and the Magic ne'er recovered against an Atlanta squad that has already beaten them doubly this season. The Hawks did it without All-Star Trae Young, who is retired astatine slightest a period with a close MCL sprain, which made the antiaircraft slippage sting much for Orlando.

Stakes turn aft an assertive offseason

This nonaccomplishment snapped a two-game triumph streak and dropped the Magic to 3–5. Expectations are existent aft Orlando paid a monolithic terms to get Bane, sending 4 unprotected first-rounders, a first-round swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony to Memphis. You could consciousness the urgency successful manager Jamahl Mosley’s postgame mea culpa. “Turnovers, the antiaircraft effort wasn't there,” Orlando manager Jamahl Mosley said. “We fto the discourtesy dictate our defense. That's connected me. I didn't bash a large occupation of getting these guys prepared for this crippled tonight. Understanding however they were truthful handsy and truthful physical, knowing they were going to effort to crook america over, I got to bash a amended occupation with this radical to fto them cognize that.”

The takeaway is straightforward: if Orlando wants this concern to wage off, they request Bane disposable successful crunch moments and a cleaner effect erstwhile games get chippy. Atlanta acceptable the terms. The Magic fto them support them.