Desmond Bane's masterful effort propels Orlando into Emirates Cup quarterfinals

The Orlando Magic have moved onto the Emirates Cup quarterfinals with a huge 112-109 win over the Detroit Pistons Friday night inside Little Caesars Arena. What were a few of our takeaways?! Let's dive into it!

After lousy start, Magic's grit helps them secure biggest win of season:

Magic Pistons — Nov 28, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) drives to the basket between Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) and guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

It's not always how you start. It's how you finish.

The Pistons were atop the East entering the evening at 15-3.

They also got off to a quick 27-14 flurry after a lousy first nine minutes from the Magic. Desmond Bane (more on him later) and Anthony Black (more on him, too) helped flip the switch.

Ultimately, three critical offensive rebounds by Orlando -- two by Desmond Bane and one by Wendell Carter Jr. -- plus a critical block from Black in the waning moments, helped close a gritty three-point win away from home.

It's not very often you win games while shooting just 5-of-30 from 3-point range. In fact, they have never won a game with five or fewer made threes with at least 30 3PA, according to Stathead.

Yet, they did against the best team in the East ... and it was largely buoyed by the winning plays made down the stretch.

It was (Anthony) Black Friday, indeed:

Black's name has been mentioned a lot lately -- and for good reason.

Coming off a career-high 31 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, Black's impact off the bench continued. He was incredibly disruptive, picking Jaden Ivey's pocket in the backcourt before recording a pick-six on a Javonte Green pass not long thereafter in the first half.

Including his latest barrage, the third-year guard was averaging 15.8 points on 61.9 percent true shooting over his last eight games. Black made winning plays throughout the game and tallied 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals against Detroit.

How he's impacted Orlando's rotation recently can't be overstated.

Desmond Bane loves playing in Detroit, apparently:

It's been 723 days since Desmond Bane scored a career-high 49 points on 19-of-31 shooting against the Detroit Pistons inside Little Caesars Arena. That was before he scored 38 on 15-of-23 shooting last year.

Tonight? 37 more on 13-of-25 shooting, including a masterful finger roll with 2:11 left to give the Magic a 108-106 lead.

that's tuff @DBane0625 pic.twitter.com/FlUq7TE66C
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 29, 2025

Bane recorded all but one of his 13 baskets in the paint, shooting 12-of-14 in that area, including 3-of-3 at the rim. His aggression was a big reason why this game flipped, and that switch wasn't turned off.

After back-to-back seasons shooting 68 percent at the rim, Bane was shooting 57.3 percent (47-82) entering Friday night, according to Cleaning The Glass. Water hasn't quite found its level yet, though it would be a good boost should that number continue to rise.

After lousy start, Magic's grit helps them secure biggest win of season:

It was (Anthony) Black Friday, indeed:

Desmond Bane loves playing in Detroit, apparently:

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