The 5 most important stretches of the Orlando Magic’s 2020 season

The California Swing (Jan. 10-20)

The Orlando Magic’s second West Coast road trip in January is just as tough as the first one. It is perhaps even a bit more daunting.

The length itself is something to behold as is the miles traveled. And the inevitable schedule loss that comes at the end.

This trip is effectively the team’s California swing. They hit every team in California after starting with the Phoenix Suns. Worse still is how they cross through the state. Going from Phoenix north to Sacramento south to Los Angeles for a back-to-back and then back to San Francisco.

Then they close with a cross-country trip to Charlotte for some reason on little rest before finally returning home.

It is safe to say this is the toughest road trip on the calendar not merely just for the opponents they play, but the sheer miles traveled.

This is a long road trip. And as if the physical toll was enough, the opponents are not easy either.

The Suns are likely the easiest game at the start. But they are not easy by any means. Phoenix has a good scorer in Devin Booker and second-year top overall pick Deandre Ayton. The Suns are still collecting young players but can beat just about any team.

From there, the Orlando Magic head to Sacramento to take on the Sacramento Kings. The Kings swept the Magic in last year’s season series, one of the few teams to do so. De’Aaron Fox gave Orlando a lot of problems in both matchups and they are poised to make a playoff push.

Then comes the difficult back to back in Los Angeles. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers figure to be favorites to win the title. The amount of star power the Magic will face in back-to-back games is daunting and challenging. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are tough enough alone. But dealing with those duos is tough.

Another day in the NBA.

As if that were not hard enough, the Magic get a day of rest before heading north to play in the Chase Center in San Francisco for the first time. It is crazy to think that the Golden State Warriors are something of a reprieve. they might be on this road trip.

The road trip ends after the early-evening game at Golden State with a cross-country flight to Charlotte. The Orlando Magic play the Charlotte Hornets with just a single rest day in between. Meanwhile the Hornets have four days to prepare after getting home from their own West Coast trip.

This feels like the definition of a schedule loss.

Only the Hornets’ expected struggles are the only solace.

This road trip is all about survival. The Magic will have to pick up wins where they can and work to stay competitive to scratch out wins. This could be a rough few weeks for Orlando.

Especially considering the Magic return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and LA Clippers.