Orlando Magic release 2018-19 schedule

The Orlando Magic released their 2018-19 schedule as they fail to get much national TV love, but find a lot of weekend home games and back-to-backs.

The Orlando Magic have released their schedule for the 2019 season.

The Magic’s 30th season will get underway on Oct. 17 against the rival Miami Heat at the Amway Center. They will play one more home game to start the season, playing the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 19.

Additionally, the Magic will have six nationally televised games. Five will be on NBATV and one on ESPN. The Magic have not had a game on ESPN since a March 2015 game against the Dallas Mavericks where Elfrid Payton recorded a triple-double.

Orlando’s lone ESPN game will come in the final game of the 2019 season against Charlotte at the Spectrum Center. That game seems likely to get changed as the season progresses. Neither the Magic nor the Hornets are expected to contend for a Playoff spot.

The Orlando Magic’s game against the Boston Celtics on Oct. 22 will be the team’s first nationally televised contest of the season.

For now, only one of the Magic’s two games in Mexico City will be nationally televised. The Orlando Magic’s game against the Utah Jazz on Dec.15 will be televised on NBATV. They will play the Chicago Bulls in the other game from Mexico City on Dec. 13.

The trip to Mexico City comes just two weeks after one of the Magic’s longest road trips, a six-game, 12-day road trip that includes games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

In the grueling NBA season, the Magic will have 14 back-to-back games. Five will be away-to-away, three games will be away-to-home, home-to-away and home-to-home. The NBA once again efforted to reduce the number of back to backs and better space out games. They report this is the fewest total back to backs in the league’s history.

The three home-to-home back-to-backs are a rarity. The Magic have had one every few years, but only one per season. Only in lockout seasons would they have multiple home back-to-backs. This year the three will take place Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 when the team takes on the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. That will be LeBron James‘ only trip to the Amway Center.

The other two take place Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 against the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. And then again on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 against the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

All three home-and-home back to backs take place on a Saturday and Sunday. In fact, 20 of the team’s 39 games at the Amway Center will take place on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

The team’s longest homestand will be in March. They play 12 games at the Amway Center that month and have a season-long five-game homestand from March 14-25, featuring the New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers. The longest road trip will be six games, from Nov. 23- Dec. 4 and Dec. 31- Jan. 9, both West Coast trips.

The Magic will welcome the defending champion Warriors to the Amway Center on Feb. 28. Their final home game is April 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. They close the season out with two road games April 7 against the Celtics and then April 10 against the Hornets.

Every game will air locally on FOX Sports Florida. Individual season tickets go on sale Aug. 30.

Orlando will start training camp on Sep. 25. They tip off the preseason Oct. 1 in Philadelphia against the 76ers.