The drill that helped Desmond Bane excel against the Miami Heat

After scoring 2 points in the first quarter as the Miami Heat sprinted out to a commanding 15-0 lead, Desmond Bane quickly broke out the fire hose to put out the fire Miami started, spraying the Heat with 35 points over the next three quarters.

Desmond Bane did his damage deliberately, splashing exactly two threes in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters, scoring 10, 10, and 15 points in each passing quarter as the game went on, saving his best for last.

After a third 37pt outing in six games, Desmond Bane became the first player to achieve that mark since T-Mac. After Bane scored 37 PTS in back-to-back games a few days ago, becoming the first Magic player to do so since Tracy McGrady, Bane gave a shout out to T-Mac in the postgame interview.

I asked Desmond Bane about being the first Magic player since 2003 Tracy McGrady to score 37+ PTS in consecutive games and about his fadeaway tough angle shotmaking confidence as long as he squares his shoulders first:

“Shout out T-Mac, first and foremost…

I work every summer… pic.twitter.com/T7g9KpzwRd
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 2, 2025

Desmond Bane didn't just beat the Heat by splashing threes, he did it by using the threat of that 3pt shooting gravity to counter with drives, dimes, and finishes.

Desmond Bane showed a clear mindset to hunt contact first before finishing at the rim, a skill known as the "bump-and-finish".

Below are six Desmond Bane Drives highlighting this "bump-and-finish" mindset in Orlando's win last night over Miami, leading to 13 of Bane's 37 PTS.

Des can be seen here hunting contact before finishing at the rim on 5 attempts, while drawing 2 whistles for 3 free throws.

6 Desmond Bane Drives highlighting this "bump-and-finish" mindset in Orlando's win last night over Miami, leading to 13 of Bane's 37 PTS

Des hunting contact before finishing at the rim on 5 attempts, and drawing 2 whistles for 3 free throws. https://t.co/wvqwaYj517 pic.twitter.com/dL7sJyFOwo
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 10, 2025

Magic - Heat Postgame Quotes from Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero

After the Miami Heat matchup, I asked Desmond Bane about his mentality to hunt "bump-and-finish" drives, hunting contact before finishing at the rim that can force refs into 50-50 calls depending on how the game's being called.

Desmond says it was a conscious effort for him to be the aggressor, make the first hit, even working on this skill with Magic Coach Tae Carter after practice the day before this matchup with Miami:

Yeah, I thought over the last week I have been finishing like crap. Just not being the aggressor, not being the guy to make the first hit, driving into crowds.

So, it was definitely a conscious effort. Me and (Magic Coach) Tae Carter worked on it yesterday after practice… Something that I am conscious about, for sure.
Desmond Bane

I asked Desmond Bane about his driving “bump-and-finish” mindset, forcing contact that may have not drawn fouls tonight, but forces the refs to make a call

“Yeah, I've thought over the last week I've been finishing like crap.

Just not being the aggressor, not being the guy to… pic.twitter.com/hU0A0MGkQ5
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 10, 2025

I asked Paolo Banchero how it feels to have Desmond Bane as a relief valve on offense now, especially compared to seasons prior in games where Franz is out to injury:

(Bane) is more than just a shooter… he is a real scorer, just a ball player. He hit 6 threes tonight, but he had 37 PTS against Detroit without shooting any threes.

It is not only his shooting, it is the scoring in general. You just give a player like that the ball, it is not really hard. He gets to it.

He is stuck at 37 PTS, hopefully we can get him a 40-ball here soon.
Paolo Banchero

I asked Paolo Banchero how it feels to have Desmond Bane as a relief valve on offense now, especially in games where Franz is out compared to seasons prior

“He’s more than just a shooter… he’s a real scorer, just a ball player.

He hit 6 threes tonight, but he had 37 PTS… pic.twitter.com/iUN0QNGYoC
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 10, 2025