The Orlando Magic faced a historic setback on Sunday, suffering their worst loss ever, and Desmond Bane didn't hold back in his postgame reflections.
Despite an early seven-point lead, the Magic's offense stalled, with no player hitting the 20-point mark in their 139-87 defeat. Desmond Bane led the team with 17 points, shooting an efficient 5-10 from the field.
Bane's postgame comments were candid. "It's hard to explain, hard to swallow," he admitted.
"Anyone who watched the game saw why we lost. We didn't guard anyone, turned the ball over 27 times, and struggled with transition defense.
It's tough to recover when you have that many live ball turnovers, and it just snowballed."
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley took responsibility for the lack of preparation, but Bane didn't add much to that sentiment. "We knew how big the game was," he said. "I don't have much to add to that."
The Magic's 28 turnovers led to 37 points for the Raptors. Bane pointed to Toronto's ball pressure as a key factor in their struggles. He also emphasized the need for confidence and swagger, which the Magic currently lack.
"You have to walk into games expecting to win," Bane noted. "There's a certain swagger you need over an 82-game season.
Whether up 20 or down 20, you shouldn't be able to tell by our attitude. We've shown it in stretches, but it's missing now."
After a season-best seven-game winning streak earlier this month, the Magic have stumbled to a 1-7 record in their last eight games, precariously holding the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
"Trying to figure it out," Bane said. "The effort's there; we're trying to get it right and understand what's at stake.
We need to figure out where we have to be if we want to keep playing meaningful basketball. The guys are working on it."
The Magic have some soul-searching to do as they aim to regain their footing and secure a playoff spot.