Saturday night in Phoenix delivered an NBA thriller that had fans on the edge of their seats until the very last second. The Phoenix Suns, battered by injuries and recent losses, clawed their way to a dramatic 113-110 double-overtime victory over the Orlando Magic, thanks to Jalen Green’s buzzer-beating three-pointer from the right corner. The Mortgage Matchup Center erupted as Green’s shot found the net, sending the Suns’ bench into a frenzy and putting an exclamation mark on a night that won’t soon be forgotten by the 17,071 in attendance.
Heading into the contest, both teams were dealing with key absences. The Suns were without their All-Star guard Devin Booker, sidelined by a right hip strain, while the Magic missed starters Jalen Suggs, out with back spasms, and Franz Wagner, still recovering from a left high ankle sprain. The injury woes didn’t stop there for Phoenix—Dillon Brooks exited after just seven minutes with what sources later confirmed as a broken left hand, and Jordan Goodwin hobbled off late in the fourth quarter with a calf injury. The Magic, meanwhile, had to adjust on the fly, relying on their depth and resilience.
The game itself was a roller coaster. Both squads held double-digit leads in regulation, only to see them evaporate as the contest wore on. At halftime, Orlando was up 51-43, capitalizing on Phoenix’s cold shooting and the early loss of Brooks. Desmond Bane, who has been a revelation for the Magic this season, came out scorching hot, knocking down his first seven shots and tallying 22 points by halftime. "The Bane event," as some fans dubbed it, saw him attack from all angles—inside, from distance, and at the line—on his way to a game-high 34 points before fouling out less than a minute into the first overtime. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised his guard’s effort, saying, "He hit a helluva shot. He got some separation on that baseline. AB (Anthony Black) got pushed off his route, but he did a helluva job coming back to contest it. But Jalen Green hit a helluva shot. You have to give him credit for that one."
Despite Bane’s heroics, the Suns refused to fold. Grayson Allen, returning from a four-game absence due to a sprained right ankle, picked up the slack in Booker’s absence. Allen poured in 27 points, including all seven of Phoenix’s points in the first overtime. Collin Gillespie chipped in 19, and Goodwin notched 17 before his injury. The Suns’ bench outscored Orlando’s 58-28, a testament to their depth and determination.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists in 47 grueling minutes. He also contributed four blocks, doing a little bit of everything for the Magic. Mosley lauded Banchero’s relentless aggression: "Here’s a young man that continues to get downhill, created double teams, got a lot of guys wide-open looks. He attacked the basket a ton. Wasn’t getting the call necessarily going his way, but I loved the way that he was attacking downhill, being aggressive in those situations."
The Magic found themselves in trouble late, especially after Bane fouled out. Still, they battled back again and again. With 56 seconds left in regulation, Anthony Black stole the ball from Allen and hammered home a dunk to tie things at 96, forcing overtime. In the first extra period, Banchero’s driving dunk knotted the score at 103. The second overtime was a war of attrition. Jevon Carter, facing his former team and playing just his third game as a Magic since signing on February 6, delivered a clutch left corner three with 1.1 seconds remaining to tie it at 110. Carter finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, stepping up big in the absence of Orlando’s usual starters.
But the final word belonged to Jalen Green. Despite struggling all night—he shot just 6-of-26 from the field and 2-of-11 from deep—Green was ready when it mattered most. With the clock winding down, he found space in the right corner, rose up, and buried the game-winner as time expired. His 16 points may not leap off the page, but none were bigger than the last three. The Suns, who had trailed by as many as 12 and shot just 34 percent from the floor, found a way to win through sheer grit and timely execution.
The numbers told the story of a hard-fought battle. Both teams struggled from long range, each shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc. The Suns’ relentless effort on the glass made a huge difference—they secured 22 offensive rebounds, resulting in 23 second-chance points. Phoenix also capitalized on Orlando’s mistakes, converting 16 Magic turnovers into 22 points. "They got 117 shots up," Mosley observed. "That’s the game right there. It’s hard to overcome when they have that many possessions. We talked about it pregame. We talked about it in our meeting. This is a team that crashes the offensive glass, so we have to do the small details of boxing out, hitting guys and then going to pursue the rebound before going out on the break."
The Magic, now 29-26, will look to regroup quickly as they head to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday night. Jalen Suggs remains questionable as he continues to deal with back tightness that limited him earlier in the week. Franz Wagner’s status is also up in the air as he receives treatment for his ankle. For the Suns, the win snaps a two-game skid and improves their record to 33-24, but they’ll have to navigate upcoming games without Brooks and possibly Goodwin. Phoenix hosts the Portland Trail Blazers next, with tip-off set for Sunday evening.
Saturday’s double-overtime epic was the 20th such game in Magic franchise history, and the latest in a string of heartbreaking buzzer-beater losses for Orlando on the road. For the Suns, it was a stirring reminder that even when the odds—and the injury report—are stacked against them, they can still deliver a little magic of their own. The fans who stayed until the final horn certainly got their money’s worth, witnessing one of the season’s most dramatic finishes. As both teams look ahead to tough schedules and uncertain health, Saturday’s battle will stand as a testament to perseverance, teamwork, and the enduring thrill of NBA basketball.