Desmond Bane saves day in another Magic win without Paolo Banchero

The Orlando Magic grinded out a 125-120 win over the Chicago Bulls Monday night inside Kia Center. It wasn't pretty, but the Magic have won 10 out of their last 13 games. What were a few of our takeaways?! Let's dive into it!

The 3-point line is Magic's kryptonite against Bulls:

Magic Bulls — Dec 1, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) shoots a three point basket during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

In the Magic's first game against the Bulls this season, they shot just 3-of-24 from 3-point range (resulting in a 110-98 loss). On Monday, they shot just 9-of-33 from 3-point range, including misses on 17 of their first 20 long-range attempts.

A pair of third quarter 3-pointers from Anthony Black and Desmond Bane helped trim a second half deficit to two. They progressed closer to the mean in the fourth quarter (5-12; 41.7 percent), but they have played with fire with their 3-point efficiency across multiple wins this season.

Goga Bitadze provides huge second half spark defensively (before injury):

Before injuring his right hip in the fourth quarter, Bitadze had one of his most impactful games of the season defensively -- particularly in the second half.

The 6-foot-11 big was incredibly disruptive, finishing with four blocks and one steal, to go along with eight points, five rebounds and three assists across 18 minutes.

He was incredibly active in drop with active hands and good positioning, ultimately making Bulls ballhandlers second guess on whether or not they wanted to test him after being denied so many times.

He did not return after suffering his injury. Should he miss any time, his ability to protect the rim in that second unit will be missed ... and will be need to be supplemented by Jonathan Isaac (among others).

Desmond Bane saves the day:

When the Magic needed it most, Desmond Bane responded with a massive fourth quarter for Orlando. He scored 18 points in the fourth -- 37 for the game -- including a huge second-chance 3-pointer to give the Magic the lead with 3:23 left.

Desmond Bane C&S three, Jalen Suggs assists pic.twitter.com/dBAwdq0zZk
— The Magic Way (@MagicFilmRoom) December 2, 2025

You couldn't ask for much more from the sixth-year veteran, who now has scored 37 points in back-to-back games. He made 13-of-25 from the floor against Detroit on Friday and went 12-of-17 against Chicago, including 3-of-7 from the 3-point line and 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

He doesn't need a lot to get going. But when he's able to get in a flow, the Magic's offense becomes far more dynamic. Orlando will continue to need every bit of it without Paolo Banchero.

The 3-point line is Magic's kryptonite against Bulls:

Goga Bitadze provides huge second half spark defensively (before injury):

Desmond Bane saves the day:

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