Orlando Magic: 5 under the radar home games

Orlando Magic: 5 under-the-radar home games

December 15 vs. Atlanta Hawks

Besides the fact the Atlanta Hawks are touting Trae Young and John Collins, the Orlando Magic are going to be coming off a rough five-game road stretch in mid-December as they near the end of the difficult stretch we have dubbed “The Gauntlet.”

Considering how young this Magic team is, it is probably safe to assume they are going to struggle during this time.

The situation will not exactly be easy for them when they arrive home on Dec. 15 against the Hawks. But that is what makes this game so special.

These are types of games that fans want to see their young team pull out to attest to their resiliency during the hardest parts of their schedule. And this will be the Magic’s first home game after a long West Coast road trip — and that trip will likely have plenty of struggle as the team faces the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers.

The Magic will want some respite and that just is not likely here. They return home to face the Atlanta Hawks and then they face the Miami Heat before hitting the road again — the Brooklyn Nets await to kick off a three-game trip just a week later.

The desperation factor of struggling through a road trip and the comfort of coming home puts Orlando in the perfect position to pull off the upset.

While the Hawks certainly had a special run last year, Jamahl Mosley will want to coach his team to stand up to these kinds of challenges and win in these spots.