Magic beat Heat 136-115 as Desmond Bane hits seven threes in the preseason finale

The Orlando Magic finished their preseason with a 136-115 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night at Kia Center, recovering from an early 12-point hole behind seven three-pointers from Desmond Bane and 24 points from Paolo Banchero. Orlando closed the exhibition schedule 3-1; Miami finished 3-2.

The score flattered the Magic a little. Miami played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who traveled but was ruled out about 90 minutes before tip-off, and Bam Adebayo, who stayed in South Florida with a groin injury. Erik Spoelstra also limited his starters to roughly 15 minutes each, while Sean Sweeney used the night as a dress rehearsal and started his regular five in both halves.

How the game turned

Miami had the better start, with Bobby Portis scoring the Heat’s first five points on the way to 12, and the visitors led by as many as 12 early. The swing came after Wendell Carter Jr. picked up three quick fouls. Nikola Vučević came on and sparked a 17-8 Orlando run, Bane hit four of his threes in the second quarter, and the Magic went ahead 63-60 before the break. They never trailed again.

Orlando’s 38-point third quarter put the game away, and the lead stretched to 23 at its widest. The Magic shot 50 percent from the field, made 17 of 43 threes against Miami’s 15 of 52, and went to the free-throw line 42 times, making 31.

“You have to reset and respond, and you know I think we did a good job of that at times tonight,” Sweeney said.

Leading performers

Bane scored 23 points in 24 minutes, going 7 of 12 from beyond the arc. Banchero added 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists despite shooting 5 of 11 from the field, because he made 13 of his 16 free throws. Jamal Cain scored 14 on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench, Vučević had 13 points and seven rebounds with a plus-13, and Tristan da Silva scored 12 with a team-best plus-17. Franz Wagner had 11 points and six assists before leaving.

For Miami, rookie guard Ryan Conwell led all reserves with 21 points and seven assists on 9-of-17 shooting. Andrew Wiggins scored 13, Portis and Nikola Jović added 12 apiece, and Nick Richards grabbed 11 rebounds in 18 minutes. Klay Thompson went 0 for 7, all but one of them threes, leaving him 7 of 26 from the field across the preseason. “Orlando competed and played very well, particularly those last three quarters,” Spoelstra said.

The cost of the win

Orlando paid for the result. Wagner left in the third quarter with right shoulder soreness, Noah Penda exited in the first with a right hamstring injury, and Jase Richardson was ruled out with a sore lower back. Penda’s injury has since been diagnosed as a partial hamstring tear, and Wagner’s status for the opener is the one to watch this week. Our injury report tracks all three.

What comes next

Both teams open the regular season on Wednesday, October 21. Orlando hosts the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. ET (Game Center). Miami welcomes the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. ET (Game Center). The full box score is in the Game Center for Friday’s game.