Desmond Bane's moment can propel Orlando Magic

Desmond Bane swears Paolo Banchero was the first option coming out of a timeout in a tie game with 1.9 seconds left on Monday night at Kia Center.

Banchero had been the goat and the hero all throughout just the final minute of the fourth quarter, missing two potentially game-icing free throws, fouling Jerami Grant on a lob dunk to give away the lead, tying it back up with a layup and one of his own, missing the free throw to give the Magic the lead and then forcing the steal that gave the Magic the last crack at winning it in regulation.

This is the moment you give the ball to your best player and toughest shotmaker and let him work.

The Portland Trail Blazers were ready for that though. The Magic had to run through their options. And so Desmond Bane came around a Wendell Carter screen toward Franz Wagner inbounding the ball.

This is what the Magic brought Bane to do. After missing his first five three-pointers, he made the one that mattered, curling around the screen and hitting an off-balance three to beat the buzzer.

It went in for a 115-112 win over the Blazers, sending the Magic into hysterics and a bit of relief.

All the record will care about is that they won. All the Magic can hope for is that it relieves the pressure long enough for this team to get its footing and start moving forward.

Bane certainly believes this can be a moment that brings the team together.

"I think it just brings teams together," Bane said after Monday's game. "You need those moments throughout the season. Close games that you win and close games that you lose, they all matter and lead to something bigger down the road."

Bane, who had struggled to find shot attempts, let alone to make shots, early in the season, finished with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting -- with another six assists. He made only one of his six 3-point attempts. It was obviously the one that mattered.

The Magic have struggled to unlock Bane. They have struggled to come together successfully. Maybe this is the moment that means something.

That familiar feeling

Among coach Jamahl Mosley's favorite things to talk about with his team is his directive that they play with joy. The Magic want to let their personalities shine and enjoy playing together.

There has not been much joy on this sideline this season. There has been a lot of frustration more than anything.

Mosley said he sensed there was a bit of seriousness as they returned after Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics. They needed every bit of focus.

The Magic had to find something that would spark them.

A little bit of joy created part of that familiar feeling. The team has stated it is incredibly close off the court. But they have at times lacked cohesion on the court. Their games have been a slog, despite the improved pace and hints of improved offense. It has not exactly been joyful.

The game-winning shot from Bane brought a lot of that joy out. The team mobbed him after the make. It felt like some pressure was released.

"I think there is some momentum to [a game-winning shot]," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's win. "I think more than anything, it was the process. We may not have shot it well, but we did the right things at the right time, and we stuck with the process to get this one back."

It is not the only way the Magic looked and felt familiar.

The team showed much more resolve and toughness in the face of poor three-point shooting (8 for 30) for the second straight game. Even though the Magic got plenty of good looks that they missed, they stuck to their process. They kept gringind and halting away.

For the first time in a long time, the Magic's defense resembled the devastating unit that terrorized the league the last two years. They held the Blazers to just 20 points in the third quarter to open an 11-point lead after three quarters.

"That's what it's going to take to win games," Banchero said after Monday's win. "I don't think anybody is confused by that. We've just got to replicate it every night. One game at a time."

It still took some resolve to win the game as the Magic gave up an 11-0 run to lose a nine-point lead with 2:32 to play.

Those mental blocks and offensive struggles are still apparent. Someone had to save Banchero from several mistakes -- including himself with the game-tying basket and a steal to set up the final shot.

The Magic's defense had its shaky moments to close the game. But it led the way. The Magic found their way to win.

"It can just ignite us to get some more wins and build on it," Banchero said after Monday's win. "Obviously it was a hard-fought game from start to finish. Looking to build on it for sure."

That is a place they can grow from.

Building confidence

It has been a first month of the season filled with frustration. The Orlando Magic have not yet been the team they want to be. That they have not gotten there or found their footing has been frustrating.

It has seemed throughout the year, they take one step forward to take one step back. Nothing has been consistent. And there is clear frustration that things have not gelled.

Winning has proven more difficult as they try to learn these lessons. The team has, at times, not quite looked like itself.

This is a team that has always played with a certain amount of swagger and bravado. It was one of the team's defining traits.

That has been missing. Finding it and that confidence again is as much a part of the challenge for the team as anything else.

They are trying to integrate Bane and make him feel more comfortable. Maybe a game-winner like this is the shot in the arm he needs.

"I just want to be a part of winning," Bane said after Monday's game. "But I think moments like tonight are the ones that help you settle into the new situation."

Maybe a buzzer-beating shot, despite the rocky finish, is exactly what this team needs. It might be enough to unlock Bane and give him the confidence to be himself instead of ust fitting it.

Maybe that will be enough to relieve the pressure and be proof that what they do can work. Maybe that is enough to remind them of who they are and help push forward.