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5 Most important stretches of the Orlando Magic's 2024-2025 season

The Orlando Magic have had nearly a week to sit with their schedule and map out the trouble spots and the easy parts (on paper). Which stretches of games will define their season?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic face some difficult stretches in their schedule, especially early in the season. That could define their season.
The Orlando Magic face some difficult stretches in their schedule, especially early in the season. That could define their season. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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4. Dec. 3-Dec. 27: NBA Cup and beyond

Dec. 3: at New York (TNT)
Dec. 4: at Philadelphia
Dec. 6: at Philadelphia
Dec. 8: vs. Phoenix
Dec. 10-17 Emirates NBA Cup Week
Dec. 19: vs. Oklahoma City (TNT)
Dec. 21: vs. Miami
Dec. 23: vs. Boston
Dec. 26: vs. Miami
Dec. 27: vs. New York

This is a long string of games that takes up almost the entire month of December. When I have done this post every year, I usually try to limit this to six or seven games or two-week stretches. But the Magic this year have a lot of clusters of big games and strings of playoff opponents.

None are bigger than December. This could bethe most important 10-game (or so) stretch of the season.

And that is not only because it includes the final NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks (the big one that is on national TV). That game carries a ton of weight because of the NBA Cup implications. But that game too will matter for the final standings and potential tiebreakers.

But it is not just that.

On the current schedule, the Magic are slated to play nine straight games against teams that made the playoffs last year. The NBA Cup games do not seem to give much relief either—the Magic could advance out of the group stage and play two difficult opponents in the knockout rounds or they could end up with fourth games with the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics in their NBA Cup makeup games to complete their schedule.

December is going to be quite difficult—it has historically been quite difficult.

Last year, the Magic used early season success to build confidence. Entering December, the team was 13-5. The Magic finished the 2023 calendar year at 19-13.

The team can survive a tough December. And the Magic may be doing the same this time around. Among the teams in this stretch, Orlando only won the season series against New York. The Magic struggled with several of these matchups and the Celtics are the Celtics.

December will be difficult no matter how anyone breaks it down. And the Magic are going to have their work cut out for them to stay in the chase for homecourt advantage. Playing well through December and the period around the NBA Cup will go a long way to putting the Magic on their way to making good on their promise to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.

By the time the calendar turns to 2025, we will have a good idea of how good this Magic team really is.

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