The Orlando Magic lost 113-108 to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night after giving up a 19-point lead in the second half, but Desmond Benn's historic February continued despite the loss.
Ben scored 30 points in 38 minutes, adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals. He shot 12-for-19 from the field and 6-for-10 from 3-point range, without attempting any free throws, finishing with a team-high plus-9 rating.
After the game, Magic writer Josh Cohen wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Ben had entered rare statistical company.
“In the month of February, @OrlandoMagic's Desmond Benn became the sixth player in @NBA history to score over 250 points, while shooting over 59 percent from the field overall and over 49 percent from 3-point range (min. 10 3-point attempts).”
@OrlandoMagicDesmond Benn became the sixth player @nba History of scoring over 250 points while shooting 59-plus percent from the field overall and 49-plus percent from 3-point range (minimum 10 3-point attempts) in the month of February. pic.twitter.com/LdpCQZ7eXZ
- Josh Cohen (@Josh_Cohen_NBA) 27 February 2026
Cohen said Benn joins Kevin Johnson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns and John Collins as the only players to accomplish the feat in February.
Desmond Benn's historic February puts him in line with LeBron James, Kevin Durant
The milestone puts the Orlando Magic guard alongside two of the most prolific scorers of the modern era in LeBron James and Kevin Durant, underscoring the efficiency of Bane's month-long span. Durant, who powered Houston in Thursday's matchup, scored 40 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. He made 14 of 28 shots from the field and converted all 10 of his free throws in 40 minutes.
In 11 games in February, Ben has averaged 24.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. He is shooting 59.1% from the field and 49.3% from 3-point range during that span, while logging 33.9 minutes per game. His 84.3% mark from the free-throw line reflects the scoring balance that has fueled Orlando's offense all month.
On the season, the 27-year-old guard is averaging 20.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc in 58 games. He is converting a career-high 91.4% of his free-throw attempts in 34.1 minutes per night.
Despite Benn's efficiency, Orlando couldn't stop Houston's late push. The loss dropped the Magic to 31–27 as they continued a four-game homestand.
The Magic will try to regroup on Sunday when they host the NBA's top team Detroit Pistons (43-14) at 6:00 pm ET. While there was a setback against Houston, Benn's historic February production places him among elite company and provides Orlando a steady offensive anchor heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
