Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane found himself heading to the locker room early Tuesday night following a peculiar confrontation with Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu that involved hurling a basketball at a fallen opponent.
The Controversial Play
The sequence unfolded with 5:24 left in the third quarter, Orlando down by 14 points. Bane caught Okongwu’s arm while the Hawks big man drove to the basket, sending him tumbling to the hardwood. What happened next raised eyebrows around State Farm Arena – Bane deliberately knocked the ball toward Okongwu as he lay on the court.
Referee Evan Scott quickly stepped between the players before tensions could escalate further. After reviewing the video footage, officials slapped Bane with a flagrant foul penalty one for the initial contact and tacked on a technical foul for intentionally directing the basketball at Okongwu. The double-whammy meant an automatic ejection.
Bane’s night ended with modest numbers: nine points, three rebounds, and two assists across 22 minutes of action.
Bane’s Take on the Incident
Speaking with reporters afterward, Bane pushed back against suggestions he acted with malicious intent. “It was a hard foul,” the guard insisted. “We talk about no easy baskets, nothing at the rim. I swiped at the ball and it happened to hit him. They made the call they made.”
Bane framed his actions as standard defensive aggression rather than a deliberate attempt to antagonize his opponent.
Bigger Picture and What’s Next
The loss snapped Orlando’s brief two-game winning streak – wins that came against Charlotte on Oct. 30 and Washington on Nov. 1. Atlanta pulled off the victory despite playing without their offensive catalyst Trae Young, who’s nursing a right MCL sprain.
The Magic will look to bounce back Friday when they travel to face the Boston Celtics.
