Magic Hold On in Portland, Spoil Blazers’ Rally with 110-106 Win
You can teach strategy, you can drill rotations, but you can’t teach the kind of guts the Orlando Magic showed in Portland on Tuesday night. In a game that saw a comfortable 17-point lead evaporate into the thin Oregon air, Orlando dug deep in the final minute to escape the Moda Center with a 110-106 victory.
For a moment in the fourth quarter, it felt like the Magic were watching a rerun of a bad movie. Just 24 hours earlier, the Trail Blazers had clawed back from a 21-point deficit against Detroit, only to fall short. Against Orlando, Portland followed the same script, erasing the gap and briefly seizing a one-point lead late in the game. But unlike the Pistons, the Magic had Desmond Bane waiting to rewrite the ending.
Desmond Bane Anchors the Defense When It Matters Most
It’s easy to look at the box score and see Bane’s 23 points and think his impact was purely offensive. You’d be missing the real story. With 12 seconds left on the clock and the Magic clinging to a fragile lead, Portland’s sophomore center Donovan Clingan went up for a layup that would have cut the deficit to one.
Bane, giving up nearly a foot in height to the 7-foot-2 big man, didn’t flinch. He met Clingan at the rim, rejecting the shot cleanly. It was the kind of defensive stand that doesn’t just save a possession—it saves a game. Bane then calmly sank two free throws at the other end to push the lead to three, effectively icing the contest. He finished the night filling every column of the stat sheet: 23 points, five assists, three steals, and three blocks. It was a complete performance from a player who refused to let his team fold.
Anthony Black Continues to Impress for Orlando
While Bane provided the heroics, Anthony Black provided the steady hand. The young guard was a force all evening, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. In a game where momentum swung wildly, Black’s ability to control the pace kept the Magic offense from completely stalling out during Portland’s furious third-quarter run.
Tyus Jones also proved his worth as a stabilizer. When Portland took that one-point lead in the fourth—sending the home crowd into a frenzy—it was Jones who silenced the arena with a clutch 3-pointer. He finished with 16 points and seven assists, playing the role of the calm veteran perfectly alongside Orlando’s younger core.
Blazers’ Grit Falls Just Short Again
You have to feel for this Blazers squad. For the second straight night, they showed incredible resilience, fighting back from a deep hole. Deni Avdija was spectacular, leading all scorers with 25 points while adding eight assists and six rebounds. He was the engine behind the comeback, consistently finding gaps in the Magic defense and creating opportunities for his teammates.
Shaedon Sharpe added 22 points, but a critical missed free throw with 38.9 seconds left—which would have tied the game—will likely haunt him. Despite the loss, Portland’s ability to turn a blowout into a nail-biter speaks to a team that hasn’t quit, even if the results aren’t falling their way.
Why 3-Point Shooting Made the Difference
If you’re looking for the statistical reason the Magic are flying home with a win, look no further than the arc. Orlando was scorching from deep, hitting 15 of their 33 attempts (45.5%). In today’s NBA, that kind of efficiency is almost always a winning formula.
In contrast, Portland struggled to find its rhythm from downtown, shooting just 28.1% (9-for-32). While they dominated the glass—outrebounding the Magic 53 to 47—they simply couldn’t match Orlando’s shot-making when it counted. The math was simple: Orlando made the most of their open looks, and Portland didn’t.
What’s Next for the Magic?
This wasn’t the prettiest win on the schedule, but on the second night of a back-to-back or the end of a road trip, style points don’t matter. The Magic showed they can weather a storm and execute under pressure.
They’ll head back to the Kia Center to host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, looking to build on this momentum. As for the Blazers, they host the Clippers on Friday, hoping to finally turn one of these furious rallies into a win.
