The Orlando Magic advanced to the semifinals of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, taking down the Miami Heat, 117-108.
Magic shooting guard Desmond Bane led all scorers with 37 points in the win, and commented on the $35,000 fine he received after a minor scuffle with Knicks forward OG Anunoby on Sunday.
In the fourth quarter of a closely contested match between the Magic and the Knicks, Anunoby lost the ball on a breakaway layup attempt and fell out of bounds. Bane picked the ball up from under the hoop and hurled it at Anunoby, who was still lying on the floor.
After a review, Bane received a technical foul - his second of the season for throwing a ball at an out-of-bounds opponent. The NBA fined him on Monday.
“I just lost $35K,” Bane said when asked about the prize money for the tournament after his team’s win. “I gotta get it back somehow.”
Players in the NBA Cup’s knockout rounds all receive prize money depending on how long their team lasts in the tournament. Quarterfinalists receive $53,093 each, semifinalists receive $106,187 each, the runners-up receive $212,373 each and the champions receive $530,933 each.
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Bane has been one of the top performers for the Magic all season, especially in the NBA Cup. His 37-point showing against the Heat marked the second consecutive time he had scored that many points in the NBA Cup, the last instance coming Nov. 28 against the Detroit Pistons - who currently sit first in the Eastern Conference.
In his 25 games this season, Bane is averaging 19.0 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
The Knicks won on the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket, meaning they’ll face the Magic for the third time this season in the tournament’s semifinals.
Bane will look to help the Magic advance to the NBA Cup Finals for the first time in the franchise’s history in the game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET.
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