Orlando Magic 2023-24 Full 82-Game Schedule

The Orlando Magic have a lot to look forward to in the 2024 season.

It feels like this offseason can not end quickly enough after the team, once healthy, made serious strides and knocked on the door of making the postseason.

The arrival of Paolo Banchero has indeed changed everything for the Magic. He wrapped up a Rookie of the Year season and changed the team’s complete outlook in the process.

A 29-28 finish to the season is not something to celebrate with a ticker tape parade. But for a franchise starving for a star and the concrete sign of some long-term potential, it symbolized the start of something special.

Or potentially something special. Nothing in this league is guaranteed and that is the most important lesson of all. Orlando will have to build its defense back up, improve it and find some offense in the process.

The Orlando Magic are aiming to take the next step and climb into the postseason picture this season. It starts with their 2024 schedule, released in full today.

This season for the Magic is one of solidifying the team’s core group and building the foundations for what everyone hopes is a long playoff run. It will be fascinating to watch this team grow and develop, going through the ups and downs of the season while dealing with real winning pressure for the first time.

Management may not be willing to say it, but fans sure are: The expectation for this Magic team is to make the postseason. After all, as the last team eliminated from postseason contention last year, there is only one place to level up.

The first step then of this process now that the roster is set and training camp sits a month and a half away is the schedule. The 82-game (maybe 83?) journey begins with a single step. And each game is a chapter in this story that will hopefully end with some extra basketball in late May.

This season introduces a new wrinkle to that with the inaugural In-Season Tournament in November and a chance to get some pressure game practice before the run to the postseason in February and March.

The Magic’s schedule is not easy, including an early season West Coast trip and 15 back-to-backs. However, the Magic did get one national TV game for their trouble (you will have to wait for February although Chet Holmgren’s health may not matter this time around).

It is going to be a fun journey. Let’s begin by laying out the path.

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

Preseason

Let’s start then with the preseason and the basic nuts and bolts to get you ready for the season — since we all have our calendars out right now. The preseason schedule is obviously not as important, but there is the chance to see where the team measures up early against some postseason team.

Oct. 2: Orlando Magic Media Day

Oct. 3: Orlando Magic’s First Practice

This year, memorizing when the Orlando Magic first get to work will be easy. October is the start of the season for the Magic and they will have their work cut out for them.

They meet the media for the first time on Monday, Oct. 2 and open training camp the following day. The team is certainly hopeful to hit the ground running with much of the same roster returning from last year.

On top of all of this, many players are already back in town or cycling in and out of town. The Magic’s social media team posted some photos from group workouts at the AdventHealth Training Center that included Jalen Suggs, Jett Howard and Anthony Black. Wendell Carter has posted some of his workout videos from inside the training center too.

Just because there are not organized practices, everyone is keeping busy before they all come together officially.

Oct. 10: at Pelicans (8P)

Oct. 12: at Cavaliers (7P)

Oct. 17: vs. Pelicans (7P)

The Orlando Magic’s three preseason games against NBA opponents should give them a good measure of where they are. The Pelicans reached the Play-In Game, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were the surprise team in the Eastern Conference.

Both are young teams that should challenge the Magic’s length and execution right off the bat. Great opponents to get warmed up against.

Oct. 20: vs. Flamengo (7P)

The Orlando Magic continue to deepen their ties to Brazil and their fans in Brazil, inviting Flamengo back to the Amway Center. This will be the fourth time the two teams have met, including a trip to Rio de Janeiro for a game in Oct. 2015.

This should end up being a fairly easy win for the Magic but still a fun atmosphere inside the Amway Center for a Friday night preseason game.

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

Starting on the Road

Oct. 25: vs. Houston Rockets (7P)

The Orlando Magic open their 2024 regular season at the Amway Center against the hated Houston Rockets. That is a fitting opponent for the Magic to open their 35th anniversary season considering the history between these two teams.

Not that any of the players on either team remembers the 1995 Finals (I certainly still do). The game is even more important considering what comes next.

Oct. 27: at Portland Trail Blazers (10P)

Oct. 30: at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30P, NBATV)

Oct. 31: at LA Clippers (10:30P)

Nov. 2: at Utah Jazz (9P)

It is exceedingly rare for a team to take a West Coast trip this early in the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James’ rookie year was the last time I can remember a team starting the year with a West Coast trip like this.

For the Orlando Magic, this is the earliest West Coast road trip in team history, including the 1991 season when the team played in the Western Conference. The previous earliest West Coast trip took place on Game 7 on Nov. 9, 2000, and Nov. 11, 2001.

That is pretty different for this team, who usually take their West Coast road trips in late November/early December and then a second one in early January or March (usually during the NCAA Tournament). But it is exceptionally rare for the Magic to go on a long road trip like this early on in the season.

It is part of what is overall a very road-heavy start to the season that includes a “home” game in Mexico City against the Atlanta Hawks.

If the Magic want to get off to a good start, they will have their work cut out for them.

Nov. 4: vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7P)

Nov. 6: vs. Dallas Mavericks (7P)

Nov. 9: vs. Atlanta Hawks at Mexico City (9:30P/NBATV)

Nov. 11: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6P)

The Orlando Magic return home from the West Coast trip to complete their season series with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (a Saturday game, for those who are trying to get tickets, so beware). That is followed by a game with some star power against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks.

Typically the Magic get a long homestand — their longest homestands — following the West Coast road trip. But this homestand has an international interruption as the Magic make the long trip to Mexico City to take on the Atlanta Hawks.

Fortunately for the Magic, the season starts off fairly manageable. Only six of these first 10 games feature teams who made the postseason last year.

Still, heading into the In-Season Tournament group play games, the Magic will either feel very confident or be searching for some answers.

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

In-Season Tournament Group Play

When the Orlando Magic were drawn into Group C in the Eastern Conference, it felt like a real opportunity.

First, the team needs the pressure-game practice that comes with playing meaningful games. Second, the team is playing in a group without a clear-cut No. 2. The Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors all made the postseason last year, but none of those three feel like sure things to make it back even to the Play-In in 2024.

That is the opportunity the Magic should be hunting. And the Magic should feel like they can compete with everyone — not to mention every game in this tournament is going to be against teams that the Magic will be competing for a postseason spot at the end of the season.

Nov. 14: at Brooklyn Nets (In-Season Tournament) (7P)

Nov. 15: at Chicago Bulls (8P)

Nov. 17 at Chicago Bulls (In-Season Tournament) (8P)

In a certain way, these first two games are the two most important of the group play. The Orlando Magic are going to be playing against two teams fighting for postseason position and the kind of teams they need to overcome to get into the postseason.

This is a chance to get a jumpstart on that race.

More than that, though, this is like a playoff series in every way. The Magic will be playing their first two games on the road. So how does this team react when it has to get a win on the road to get a split? What will they do if they are down 0-1?

Does any of it actually matter? It should. And these two games will set the tone for the rest of the group play and set a good tone for the rest of the season.

Nov. 19: at Indiana Pacers (7P)

Nov. 21: vs. Toronto Raptors (In-Season Tournament) (7P)

Nov. 22: vs. Denver Nuggets (7P)

Nov. 24: vs. Boston Celtics (In-Season Tournament) (2:30P/NBATV)

So with the first two games on the road, the Orlando Magic will have a chance to close things out and protect the Amway Center floor. That should certainly be among the major goals for the Magic.

And if the Orlando Magic take care of its business and comes into this final game on Black Friday against the Boston Celtics at 2-1, the team will be playing a win-and-advance game in its final outing. That is the kind of pressure and stakes the Magic want to see their team play in.

Doing it against a Celtics team the Magic have had success against, going 3-1 against the Celtics last year, would make it all the sweeter. Doing it again on a marquee day on Black Friday on NBATV in one of the featured games of the tournament day is the kind of opportunity this team should relish.

Nov. 26: vs. Charlotte Hornets (6P)

Nov. 29: vs. Washington Wizards (7P)

Dec. 1: vs. Washington Wizards (7P)

Dec. 2: at Brooklyn Nets (7P)

Dec. 4-9: In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds

Dec. 6: at Cleveland Cavaliers (7P)

Dec. 8: vs. Detroit Pistons (7P)

The In-Season Tournament will conclude Dec. 9 in Las Vegas with quarterfinal and semifinal games taking place that week. The Orlando Magic will have two games added one way or another since quarterfinal and semifinal games count toward the regular season record.

We will not know who the Magic are playing in those games until after Group Play is completed — the Magic are the first in East Group C to finish play with the final day of games taking place Nov. 28.

UPDATE: The Magic ended up just short of making the quarterfinal round of the In-Season Tournament thanks to the Boston Celtics' blowout victory over the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 28. So the Magic got their two replacement games.

The Orlando Magic will travel to Cleveland to face the Cleveland Cavaliers after the Dec. 2 game against the Brooklyn Nets and then head home to face the struggling Detroit Pistons.

This comes before the toughest part of the team's schedule in December. . .

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

Playoff Row

Dec. 11: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (7P)

Dec. 15: at Boston Celtics (7:30P)

Dec. 17: at Boston Celtics (3P)

Dec. 20: vs. Miami Heat (7P)

Dec. 21: at Milwaukee Bucks (8P)

Dec. 23: at Indiana Pacers (7P)

Dec. 26: at Washington Wizards (7P)

Dec. 27: vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7P)

Dec. 29: vs. New York Knicks (7P)

The Orlando Magic come out of the In-Season Tournament still facing a really difficult schedule. Typically the Magic get to spend Christmas at home. But they will only have six games at the Amway Center in December and only one instance of consecutive home games (maybe two depending on the extra games that are not yet on the schedule).

Orlando is already giving up a game of its homestand in November to head to Mexico City. So this will be a road-weary team at this point.

The level of opponents is not going to help. In this stretch of games, the Magic face some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and a lot of teams that are playing for the big prize at the end of the season.

Merry Christmas, I guess.

Dec. 31: at Phoenix Suns (8P)

Jan. 2: at Golden State Warriors (10P/NBATV)

Jan. 3: at Sacramento Kings (10P)

Jan. 5: at Denver Nuggets (9P)

As if that was not enough, the Orlando Magic take care of their final West Coast trip over New Year’s Eve. Every West Coast trip is tough, but this one should be especially tough with the championship contenders in the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and defending champion Denver Nuggets.

The West Coast trips are always tough. They are big games and moments on the calendar. And both of these road trips for the Magic this year happen at difficult times.

Luckily they are out of the way early. So the Magic are likely due to have a tough start to the season. But that should set up a chance to build some momentum heading to the second half of the season.

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

To the All-Star Break

Jan. 7: vs. Atlanta Hawks (6P)

Jan. 9: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7P)

Jan. 12: at Miami Heat (8P)

Jan. 13: at Oklahoma City Thunder (8P)

Jan. 15: at New York Knicks (3P)

The Orlando Magic will take on the New York Knicks on Martin Luther King Day, one of the highlights of the NBA schedule every year. The Magic and Knicks have had a few good battles on MLK Day recently. And if there is a team that is a level above the Magic that they should be chasing, this is the one.

The Knicks are a good team. Do not look past them. But they are a team the Magic have played well against and this afternoon game should be a good showcase for them.

Jan. 17: at Atlanta Hawks (7:30P)

Jan. 19: vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7P)

Jan. 21: vs. Miami Heat (7P)

Jan. 22: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (7P)

Jan. 26: at Memphis Grizzlies (8P)

Jan. 28: vs. Phoenix Suns (6P)

The stretch that concludes with the Jan. 28 game against the Phoenix Suns represents a difficult but needed homestand for the Orlando Magic where they will play four of five games on the parquet floor.

The Magic do not get a lot of these long homestands early in the season. But they should be able to make up ground as the season concludes. This would be a good opportunity to get some wins against elite competition.

Jan. 29: at Dallas Mavericks (8:30P)

Jan. 31: at San Antonio Spurs (8P)

Feb. 2: at Minnesota Timberwolves (8P)

Feb. 4: at Detroit Pistons (3P)

Feb. 6: at Miami Heat (7:30P)

That previous homestand is critical because of this five-game road trip through the end of January. The opponents feel manageable with some non-Playoff teams thrown in there. But this is a big test for the Magic nonetheless.

The good news then, this five-game road trip is the last road trip of more than three games the rest of the season. And the Magic can look forward to a home-heavy schedule after the All-Star Break.

Feb. 8: vs. San Antonio Spurs (7P)

Feb. 10: vs. Chicago Bulls (7P)

Feb. 13: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (7P/TNT)

Feb. 14: vs. New York Knicks (7P)

The Orlando Magic have one national TV game on their schedule. It is the same game that got taken away from them last year after Chet Holmgren’s injury. With the Oklahoma City Thunder’s development, as long as the Orlando Magic stay healthy and competitive, they will get that coveted TNT game.

And it will feel big. TNT has not done a game at the Amway Center since the Miami Heat’s win streak featuring LeBron James when he torched Earl Clark (#FreeEarlClark). That game was only added to the schedule because of that Heat win streak. The Magic have not had a scheduled TNT game at home since Dwight Howard’s last game at the Amway Center (the day of the infamous Stan Van Gundy press conference).

The Magic will operate a ton this year outside of the national spotlight. Their schedule may mean they have to make a late run to make the postseason. But they get this one game to show the nation who they are. And that is going to be exciting for Magic fans (even if it is *just* the Tuesday package and not the full Thursday package).

2023-24 Orlando Magic Schedule

Sprint after the Break

Feb. 16-18: NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis

Feb. 22: at Cleveland Cavaliers (7P)

Feb. 24: at Detroit Pistons (8P)

Feb. 25: at Atlanta Hawks (7P)

Feb. 27: vs. Brooklyn Nets (7P)

Feb. 29: vs. Utah Jazz (7P)

March 3: vs. Detroit Pistons (6P)

March 5: at Charlotte Hornets (7P)

March 6: at Washington Wizards (7P)

March 8: at New York Knicks (7:30P)

March 10: vs. Indiana Pacers (7P)

March 13: vs. Brooklyn Nets (7P)

March 15: at Toronto Raptors (7P)

March 17: vs. Toronto Raptors (6P)

March 19: vs. Charlotte Hornets (7P)

March 21: vs. New Orleans Pelicans (7P)

March 23: vs. Sacramento Kings (7P)

March 27: vs. Golden State Warriors (7P)

March 29: vs. LA Clippers (7P)

March 30: vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7P)

April 1: vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7P)

Looking for the bit of respite in all the bad schedule news I have pointed out so far? This is it. An eight-game homestand at the end of March featuring four teams that failed to make the Playoff field (including two teams that lost in last year’s Play-In Tournament).

Orlando used a 5-0 homestand in March to power their trip to the Playoffs in 2019. This is the kind of homestand that could help the Magic climb a seed line or solidify their postseason hopes. They just have to get there.

March overall features 11 home games out of the 15 games they play that month. That is a big chance for the Magic to enter the postseason riding a high and build some momentum to sprint to the end of the season.

April 3: at New Orleans Pelicans (8P)

April 5: at Charlotte Hornets (7P)

April 7: vs. Chicago Bulls (6P)

April 9: at Houston Rockets (8P)

April 10: at Milwaukee Bucks (8P)

April 12: at Philadelphia 76ers (7P)

April 14: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (1P)

After that very favorable March, the Orlando Magic’s schedule concludes with a tough road trip (including an unconscionable Houston-to-Milwaukee back-to-back). The Magic’s closing kick of two games against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers is not going to make anyone feel good if the Magic absolutely need wins to close out a playoff spot.

That is life in the NBA.

Overall, though, this will be a challenging schedule for the magic. They face a lot of adversity and tough going early on in the season that will make it tough to establish momentum. They are going to have to keep their head above water to get to the post-All-Star Break part of the schedule where they can really build some wins.

But nobody can predict the NBA. And all the Magic can do is play the games. October cannot get here fast enough.